Why I'm Here
by XxKonoha-DemonxX
Summary: 'Did she HAVE a death wish' Sakura looked at his face and the breath caught in her throat as she took in his features. She didn't know what the life of a pirate meant until you almost died several times in the company of Sasuke Uchiha. Lemon at the end!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_The ships in the harbor of Konoha stood proud and tall as a young girl stared up at them. The girl smiled up at them, tugging at her older brother's sleeve. She pointed up at the big ship in front of them, her small hand no bigger than her small feet. He smiled down at her, but shook his head._

_"No, darling. We can't go on those. Those are pirate ships, the bad men, the ones you need to stay away from. Do you understand?" The toddler's face fell at what he said, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't, actually. Her parents didn't know why, but they had tried everything to get their baby girl to speak. But her brother was the only one that could make her speak when she wanted to._

_Her brother was the chief commander of the Konoha fleet and he took his job very seriously. Recently, there had been an outbreak of pirate ships trying to come into their harbor and sell items on the black market that he and his men had tried to keep secret for years, but word had still reached unwanted ears. Right now, pirates from across the 7 seas were being arrested in front of them as they stood watching the large ships. Several of them glared at the commander, which he silently returned without his little sister seeing._

_While the pirates were being walked to prison, the small girl saw an interesting sight; a small boy about her age being pulled away from what looked like his older brother, who was a pirate. The older one looked no older than ten while the younger looked like he had just turned five. He had the most unusual hair she had ever seen; it was shaped like a chicken's butt, but it was slightly droopy in the back. Finally, the two were torn apart, and the younger one fell, his small sword coming out of its sheath. It fell with a clang, but he left it on the ground as he struggled to get to his older brother. The girl's brother looked away from the sight, but the girl just looked as the small boy was scooped up by a pirate who had come with the fleet the boys had come on. The older man ran away with him, a few others behind him. The older brother saw this, and he turned around and yelled,_

_"Keep running! Don't let them catch him!" He was immediately silenced by a guard and struggled against the arms of the man. The little girl watched as the smaller boy was taken away, and their eyes met briefly. His onyx ones met her bright green ones, then, he was gone._

* * *

Sakura Haruno shot up in her warm bed, her short pink hair a mess. Rubbing it from her face, she glanced at the large grandfather clock next to the window in her room. The covers were tangled as she got up and trudged to the washroom to use the toilet. It was three in the morning in seventeen-eighty five, which wasn't unusual for sixteen-year-old Sakura Haruno. Just about every day, she would wake up at this time for some unknown reason, but she was basically used to it. Ever since the day she had gone with her older brother, Ranosuke, to the harbor twelve years ago, she had been reliving the event that had happened. That boy didn't stop coming into her head whenever she had that dream, so she couldn't forget what he looked like. Especially that HAIR!

Sakura unconsciously grinned at the memory when she climbed back into bed. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, but was shortly awakened again by a knock on her door. Light came through the windows and the clock read nine in the morning. Groaning softly, she climbed out of her bed and walked over to her door. Opening it, she was greeted by familiar eyes.

"Yes, may I help you?" she asked giving the person a sickly sweet smile, letting the irritation in her voice make its way out. The maid on the other side smiled nervously, obviously sensing her mistress's irritation.

"Ma'am, there is someone in the sitting room asking for you." Sakura stared at her for a minute before thanking her and shutting her door in her face. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled a dress out, being careful so she wouldn't ruin it like the many dresses she had ruined already. Pulling it on over her body, she made sure nothing was poking out before striding to the door. Normally, her mother would have forced her to wear a corset, but she already had the perfect body, so there was no need for one.

Walking down the large staircase, she deliberately walked slowly so she wouldn't have to go in. She knew it was a man asking for her hand in marriage. There were at least 6 at her doorstep every week, and she sick and tired of it. Opening the door very slowly so that the hinges creaked, she peered inside, and saw the man in a chair facing away from her. Sighing inaudibly, she stepped inside, but soon noticed the atmosphere of the room. It was very thick with irritation and tension, very much like the one when her brother was here. Her father and brother didn't get along very well ever since he joined the Royal Navy of Konoha thirteen years ago.

Sure enough, her father sat in a chair across from her brother, and they were having a glaring contest. Sakura decided to break the awful air surrounding her like smoke by coughing slightly. Both of the men looked up at her and her brother immediately sprang up and hugged her tightly.

"Hey there, Sakura. How has my little sister been?" Ranosuke said happily while he squeezed the life out of her.

"I-I'm fine. Can you let go of me? I can't feel from my neck down," she gasped and Ranosuke dropped her. He laughed the laugh Sakura had known since she was born. Ranosuke was twenty-seven, the average male you would see walking the streets on a Sunday morning. His wavy, light brown hair went past his ears and tumbled to the bottom of his neck and curled around his ears. Every so often, you would see him shaking the hair out of his dark green eyes, the ones that made girls faint. He wasn't married, and seeing as how he had a very important job, he had no time for romance. But, he always found time to visit his baby sister.

Sakura never understood why her brother had joined the Navy. Whenever she would visit him at work, all she saw were men doing busy work. Finally, one day, he had told her his real job: He hunted down pirates as a Special Ops Agent. She had thought it was really cool. . . .that was until she saw him in action when she was thirteen. There had been a massive outbreak in pirate activity near the Water Country, and she had gone with him on a mini vacation with him. While they had been taking a walk, they had been surrounded by pirates and set upon. Ranosuke had then protected his sister by defeating them in front of her. Now that she had seen what he really had to deal with, she had made her decision: She wanted to become a sailor like her brother. Who would stop her, you ask? Well, actually a lot of people; her parents, most likely her brother, and her friends, especially her parents. So, she dropped the subject. . . . .for now anyway.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked. She caught a glimpse of her father's disapproving look, but she ignored when Ranosuke spoke up.

"What? I can't just come visit my little sister when-"

"He wants to know if you would go on another vacation with him, Sakura," her father spoke up from his sitting place. Sakura's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She turned to her brother who was rubbing the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. Apparently, he wanted to be the one to tell her.

"If I go, then where are we going?" Ranosuke perked up immediately.

"We're going to the Water Country again!" Sakura glared at him.

"Are you insane? Remember what happened the LAST time we went there? Pirates attacked us! Is this another one of your "jobs," Ranosuke?" A guilty expression set itself on his face and he puffed his cheeks out.

"No, it's not. I just wanted to spend quality time with my sister. Is that so bad?"

"It is when she was almost killed!" Sakura shrieked. Ranosuke sighed. What happened to that quiet, sweet child he knew?

"I think that is a splendid idea," a voice said from the doorway. Sakura grimaced and turned to her mother. Rini Haruno had long pink hair that came to the middle of her back, and her brown eyes sparkled as she looked upon her children. Age hadn't done a thing to her in the past twenty-eight years she had been married to her husband. She still had that sparkle in her eyes and had minimum gray hairs, but she was still very beautiful. This is where Sakura got her good looks, where as Ranosuke got the build and his looks from their father. Daisuke Haruno had dark brown hair that only added the darkness to his green eyes. Gray hairs were popping up in several places in his hair, but people were very devoted to him. He is one of the greatest business leaders in the world and people respect him more than they know him.

"Motheeeer, are you sure? I was almost killed the last time I went to the Water Country," Sakura whined.

"It will be good for you, dear. You haven't been out of this house since God knows when. And I'm sure Ranosuke will take care of you, right, honey?" She turned to her son, who flinched. Even if he didn't live with them, he was still scared of his mother. At the moment, his mother was giving him the same sickly sweet smile Sakura had given the maid, and the room seemed to freeze. Sakura smiled when her brother nodded and walked up to him, hugging his arm.

"I'll go, but you have to make sure nothing happens to me got it?" Ranosuke smirked down at her. He rubbed her short pink hair like he used to when she was a small child.

"Absolutely." Sakura smiled.

"Let's go then!"

"Sakura, don't you have to pack first?" her mother asked. Sakura froze, and then turned her head away.

"Maybe. . . ." she murmured pursing her lips. Everyone there laughed, including her brooding father. Sakura always was a brainless girl sometimes. She ran out the door and hurried up the stairs to her room. Grabbing a trunk from underneath her bed, she started stuffing clothes in it at a very fast pace. When a maid cane in and asked if she could help, she was sent running from the room when Sakura gave her infamous smile, the one she used when she was angry and irritated. Now they all knew where she got her mixed personality: her parents. Sometimes she was a cool, kept girl, but at times like this, she acted just like her mother.

Running down the stairs with the over-packed bag, she almost tripped and tumbled down the stairs, which earned her a few shouts and running people, but she righted herself before anyone could reach her. She laughed nervously while bowing and rubbing her head. Once she was at the bottom, her brother took her bag and put it in the carriage that was outside waiting. Sakura gave her mother and father one last hug before she and her brother stepped inside. The carriage gave a jolt and it started rolling down the street. She hung her head out the window and shouted,

"I'll be sure to bring souvenirs for you guys unlike the ones I came back with last time!" When she had come back from their trip three years ago, she had been covered in bandages and with several of her ribs cracked. She had to go through surgery to get them back aligned, but the surgeon didn't do a very good job stitching it back together. She now had a long, crooked scar that went from her abdomen to the bottom of her breasts. She didn't like talking about it, seeing as how it hurt her brother whenever she did.

Sakura kept waving to her parents until they were out of sight. Ranosuke watched his sister plop down in her seat and stare out the window. Her eyes were thoughtful and filled with confusion.

"What are you thinking about, Sakura?" he asked quietly. His sister sighed thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling something is going to happen when we get there."

"Like what?" Sakura turned to look at him. "What is keeping that pretty head of yours busy?"

"Do you remember when I was just a small child and you took me to the harbor?" Ranosuke nodded. "I keep having this strange dream about then. That little boy that lost his older brother keeps sticking himself in my head, and I just can't stop thinking about him, especially the way he looked. His eyes had bored into mine, and his hair was just the funniest thing. But, his eyes are what caught my interest. They were filled with sadness and loneliness. Now that I think about it, it's really sad."

Something slipped from her eye, and she wiped the tear away. Ranosuke looked at his sister before moving from his seat to hers. Putting an arm around her, he put his cheek on her head as she cried silently. She didn't know why she was crying for a boy like that. He was probably dead by now anyway. Sakura pulled away and continued to stare out the window, thinking about the boy in the harbor. Her brother stared at her as she wiped the tears away from her cheeks and eyes. He watched as she watched the scenery pass by and smiled at her. She really has grown up, even if a little.

Suddenly, the scenery changed from the country to the ocean in a split second and Sakura's face lit up. She was bouncing in her seat as they came to a complete stop. When the doorman came and tried to open the door, it was flung open by a very enthusiastic girl who literally flew from the carriage. She stared in awe at the large ships that stood swaying in the calm waters. She remembered the ship she had gone on to the Water Country, and this ship was the same one.

Ranosuke urged her on with both of their bags in his hands to the ships plank. At the top stood the captain, Captain Tazuna, talking to one of the sailors on board.

"Captain Tazuna!" Sakura exclaimed. The man turned to her as the two siblings walked up the plank. His bearded face turned into a grin as Sakura ran up to him.

"Sakura-chan! And Ranosuke-san! How are you two? I haven't seen you in three years. What have you guys been doing?"

"Well, you should know why you haven't seen me for so long, but Sakura refused to go on another vacation with me after what happened in good ol' Water," Ranosuke said, heaving the heavy suitcases on to the deck. They made heavy thuds, which resonated, to the bottom of the ship. The entire crew heard it, making them flinch. Great, they thought, we have to lug THOSE things to their quarters?

A shape out of the corner of Sakura's eye caught her attention as a boy about 10 years old ran up to Tazuna.

"Grandpa, do you want me to show these people to their rooms?" the young boy asked. Tazuna smiled and patted the boy on the head gently.

"Sure, that would be great, Inari." He turned to the two in front of him. "This is my grandson, Inari. His parents sent him with me to get him away from the house. I'm using as my personal helper and so he can show you guys around this grand ship. We got a new mast and upper deck because of a pirate raid on us a couple weeks ago. You can't even tell the bastards did anything."

Sakura stared around at the ship. She could tell that the main mast looked new and that the upper deck had been replaced. She scowled at the thought of pirates destroying ships this beautiful and she cursed them mentally. Pirates everywhere sneezed.

"Wow, it doesn't even look like you did anything to it, Tazuna," Ranosuke said as he took a look at the new wood on the mast.

"Yeah, I know. My brother-in-law helped me fix it good as new just the other day. I swear if he hadn't married my daughter I don't know what I would have done!" While they talked about the ship and important business matters, Sakura ambled around the ship with Inari following.

"What's your name, Miss?" he asked her carefully. Sakura looked down at him.

"Sakura Haruno. The last time I was on this ship was 3 years ago. I didn't know you were his grandson, or that he even had one."

"Well, I was seven three years ago, so I had to stay home and help mom and dad with stuff around the house." Inari gazed up at her for a few seconds before adding, "You're really pretty Miss Sakura." Sakura blushed a little and smiled down at him.

"Why thank you, Inari. That was very sweet of you." It was Inari's turn to blush. He grinned widely and jumped on the railing.

"Miss Sakura, what do you think about pirates?" Sakura stared at him for a full minute, thinking of something to say. She didn't really know what she thought about pirates. Sure they were ruthless killers and plunders who had a lust for money, but some of them had to be good in their own ways. Right?

A whistle was heard from the upper deck and they turned that way.

"Time to set sail!" the first mate cried. Inari smiled at Sakura and waved goodbye, which she returned politely. He ran off to help his grandfather and the crew prepare for sailing, and Sakura turned to watch the calm waters of the ocean. Orders were being shouted around her and it reminded of her of the time at the harbor twelve years ago. Thoughts of the young boy went through her head and she sighed deeply. Seagulls screeched in the air, searching for food in the waters and port. Sakura rolled her neck of the tension setting in it and turned around to place her back on the railing. Her hair blew around as the ship began to move at an alarming rate, but she didn't care. She loved the ocean and the rock and roll of the waves against the bow.

"What are you thinking about now?"

Sakura started and looked up. Ranosuke looked down at his baby sister and tilted his head towards her. She scowled and punched his arm. Her brother scooted away rubbing his upper arm.

"What did I do?"

"You should know better than to sneak up on me like that!" she yelled at him.

"Sor-ry. Sheesh, I guess I can't show concern for my little sister." Sakura sighed and turned away.

"I was just daydreaming, I guess. Inari asked me what I thought about pirates before the officer sounded off for sail. I couldn't give him an answer for some reason. You don't think that ALL pirates are bad, do you?" Ranosuke stared out at the passing ocean. He didn't give her an answer.

* * *

They had been traveling for a couple days before they reached the midway point on an island where they would get provisions for the remaining three days to the Water Country. Sakura got off the ship along with Inari and her brother next to her. Ranosuke hadn't allowed her to go alone even with Inari with her. He had said it was dangerous for a lady to be alone in a country they weren't familiar with. The island they had docked at was a main port for pirates to gather and plunder, so she had to go with her brother and young Inari.

Sakura walked past small carts filled with priceless and grostegue items she had never seen before. There were jars filled with nasty and unworldly items that made her want to puke, and there were things hanging from nails on the boards above. She looked at her brother and the young boy next to her and saw the same expressions on their faces. Finally, Ranosuke stopped them and told them they were heading back. Sakura didn't complain as they turned and walked back to their ship. Hungry eyes watched them go from an alley, and then disappeared.

* * *

"That was the most disgusting place I have ever seen," Sakura said as they sat down for dinner.

"Well, there are worse places in the world. Not every country is happy and dandy like Konoha," Ranosuke replied quietly while chewing on a piece of jerky. Inari and Tazuna sat down next to them and started eating.

"That's right, lass. Not every country is going to be like you imagined," a sailor from next to her said wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Sakura shrugged and continued eating, her mind wondering to Inari's question from two days ago. Were all pirates bad like people had depicted them as?

All of a sudden, a blast was heard a good distance, and the entire deck went quiet. Then, the piece of ocean next to them exploded in a spray of water, which rained down on them. Sakura sprang up and ran to the railing to get a better look at what had shot at them. As soon as her hands touched the railing, she was pulled back by her brother when someone shouted from the crow's next:

"PIRATES!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"PIRATES!"

Ranosuke, with his grip on Sakura and grabbing Inari in the process, he ran to their quarters and shoved the door open. Pushing Sakura and Inari in front of him and running behind her. Once she was inside, she stumbled to a stop in the middle and turned to her brother, who was panting and looking out a crack in the door.

"Ranosuke, I-"

"Sakura, I want you to stay silent until this is all sorted out. I want you to protect Inari." Inari started to protest, but the man shushed him. "Inari, if push comes to shove, I want you to protect Sakura, does that sound good?" Inari looked past him to the door where shouts and large cracks from the cannons from both ships sounded in the air.

"What about Grandpa?" the boy whimpered. Sakura looked at her older brother, who was looking for an answer to tell the 10 year old. She knew what he didn't want to tell him; that they might not survive this. Sakura pulled Inari to the side gently and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Inari. Your grandfather will be just fine. He is a tough man, so I can see where you get your brave side." Sakura smiled at him an almost identical one he had given her a couple days before. Inari sniffed and wiped his eyes to stop the tears from escaping. He finally turned to the frantic man behind him and nodded, encouraged and touched by Sakura's words. Ranosuke nodded back and looked at his sister. Walking over to her, he gave her a reassuring hug and whispered in her ear,

"Don't do anything ridiculous, okay?" Sakura chuckled as tears started forming in her eyes.

"As long as you don't, you idiot." Ranosuke pulls away and turns to the door. More and more shouts could be heard from outside, and they get louder when her brother opens the door. Smoke piles in the room from a fire outside the cabin and Sakura gasps at the sight on the deck before her brother shuts the door. The pirates had boarded the ship in the minutes that they had been in the cabin. They were fighting the sailors of the ship, and Sakura watched as the sailor that had talked to her got sliced down by a blonde haired pirate. Then, the door closed.

Sakura put a hand over her mouth and sunk to the floor. Inari stood there frightened as a newborn in a busy street. His eyes were wide at what he had witnessed and he too sunk to the floor. He didn't utter a word, afraid he would attract the attention of the pirates behind the door. The girl behind him crawled next to him and pulled him in her arms. Tears leaked out of his wide eyes, tears of shock and pain, his irises in his eyes a dot in the whites. Sakura tried to calm him down as best as she could without making the situation worse.

Then, the noises started to quiet down until all they could hear was the clanging of swords being dropped and footsteps moving around. When Sakura had thought that they had won, heavy footsteps started for their door. There were loud shouts outside, one that sounded more desperate then the others. Oh no, oh no, oh no, Sakura thought as she brought Inari closer to her, please don't look in here, please don't look in here! The handle started to rotate, and Sakura started to tremble. All of a sudden, Inari shot out of her arms and ran for the door. Giving a wild cry, he barreled out of the door and into the pirate who was proceeding to open the door.

"Inari!" Sakura cried desperately. She got up and ran after him, trying to reach him before something happened to him. As soon as she took a step out of the door, she was grabbed by a pair of arms and hauled away. She screamed, a shrill scream she only used to use when she had hurt herself as a baby. The person dropped her, covering his ears to get the girl's screams out of his hearing. Sakura looked up and saw her brother and a few other men that had survived, including Tazuna.

"Sakura! Get out of here!" her brother yelled at her, and she immediately made a break for the railing. If she could just get over board, she could swim to the shore that was less than two miles away. Before she could make it to the railing, another pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her away. A hand put itself over her mouth before she could scream again. She thrashed around to get out of the man's grasp, but he wouldn't budge.

"When they said this girl was vicious, they weren't kidding. Am I right?" a voice said behind them. The man holding her chuckled.

"Sure as shit," the man behind her replied before getting a rope and tying her hands together. He put cloth over her mouth, making her scream she was about to emit muffled. He made her got down on her knees, laughing. The man walked around her and squatted to her level. He had blonde, spiky hair that could have been the sun itself with piercing, sky blue eyes to match it like the sky. He gave a wide set grin before stroking her chin.

"She ain't that bad looking either, if I say so myself. I think the pink hair is exotic, don't you think?" There was laughter around them and Sakura glared at the man in front of her.

"Enough, Naruto. We need to get her back for the boss. You know how impatient he gets," a man said as he strolled up. He also had blonde hair but with red highlights his hair. His eyes were a darker then the other blonde pirate, almost the color of the ocean. The man in front of her sighed exasperatedly.

"Yeah, Naruto. Listen to Sakaku for once," a man with long, midnight colored hair said as he stood next to his companion. He brushed the hair out of his eyes, showing off a pair of eyes that were a rare shade of blue for any normal human. Sakura stared at the three in confusion. Just kill me and get it over with, she thought.

"You know, one of these days Nagato, I'm going to stand up to "the boss" and tell him he can stick a pole up his ass."

"Oh really, Naruto?" The blonde froze and reverted his eyes to the railing. His eyes widened and he stood up and saluted. The pirates around them saluted as their captain walked towards them. Sakura stared up at him as he walked closer. His frocked coat was a dark shade of navy blue, and the shirt under that was under it was white with stitches holding the front together. His pants were black that were being held up with a white belt to match his shirt. He had a pistol on one hip and two samurai swords on his other, which he fingered, probably out of habit.

Sakura looked at his face and the breath caught in her throat as she took in his features. He had black eyes that matched his hair, but it wasn't the clothes or the build that caught her attention about this pirate; it was his hair and eyes. The hair was shaped like a chicken's butt and ended at the top of his shirt collar. And his eyes were the memorizing black that had caught her attention 12 years ago, ones that were once filled with loneliness and sadness were now full of hate for the world that had ruined his life.

"Did you get the item we need?" the captain asked emotionlessly. Sakura and Ranosuke glared at him. Item? Sakura moved her head around until the cloth around her mouth was around her neck.

"What the hell do you mean item? I'm not some trade you got from another country! Learn some respect like a gentlemen, dammit!" The captain and the bickering pirates turned to her, the captain's eyebrow raised. Ranosuke was a little more than surprised at his sister's cursing. Where did she get that language? The captain strode over to her and got down to her level. Her eyes were burning with rage and tears of humiliation towards the man in front of her. Boy from her memory or not, he was pissing her off to the level where she was seeing red.

"Is that any way to be talking to your captor, girl? You have no idea with who you're messing with. I am Sasuke Uchiha, captain of the Sharingan and most feared pirate on the 7 seas. You? You're just a girl that thinks she all that because she is the daughter to a wealthy family." The pirate stood up and addressed the surrounding company. "And speaking of the daughter of the wealthy family, this is where we take our leave. We've got what we've come for, so we are going to leave."

Ranosuke tried to get at them, but he was forced back down by Naruto who sneered at him. Pointing a pistol at him, he looked back at his captain, asking permission to kill him quickly. Instead, Sasuke shook his head and turned to Sakaku.

"Find the oil and spread it around the ship. We're burning this piece of ship along with the crew. Unless," he turned to the captives, "you all want to jump ship while this ship burns. What say you?" Nobody said anything or did anything, including the young boy who was being held by one of his men. Brave ones this bunch is, he thought as he turned away.

"Fine, instead of burning this ship, blow holes in it so that the sharks can get them. Shikamaru, Sai, you will come back and scout the area for any survivors and bring them to shore. I'm sure the young lady has seen enough already." He sneered down at the girl at his feet and grabbed her arm, forcing her up. Sakura glared at him then spit at his boots.

"Bastards. You're all cruel, giving them this treatment. What have we ever done to you!" Something flashed in the man's eyes as he glared down at the girl. They had a glaring contest for a few seconds before Sasuke turned away, dragging her with him.

"Let go of her! What do want with her!" Ranosuke yelled as Sasuke got to the railing. The dark eyed pirate looked over his shoulder at him, but didn't say anything as he walked on the piece of wood connecting the ships. Ranosuke roared in rage but was silenced with a blow to the head. He fell to the deck unconscious, blood pooling around his head. Sakura's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything as Sasuke pulled her to his ship. Once on the deck, he opened a door that led to his quarter and shoved her inside.

"Stay in here and don't break anything. All this stuff is very valuable. If you so much as move something, you won't live to see sunrise." With that, he slammed the door and locked it from the outside. It was quiet except for Sakura's harsh breathing and the fading footsteps of the pirate. Sakura's knees trembled and collapsed from under her. This couldn't be happening. This just could NOT be happening! Her brother, Tazuna, and even Inari were going to be killed because of her! What DID she do?

Suddenly, there were loud cracks from the cannons on the ship that were so loud that Sakura shrieked. Explosions and the splintering of wood mingled with the screams of the wounded. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she just sat there and listened as the other ship was being torn apart by the pirate's guns. Then, she heard it; someone was laughing maniacally on the deck above her and then, she snapped. Standing up, she grabbed the nearest thing, a chair, and flung it across the cabin. It shattered into pieces and when she made sure there was another, she picked that one up as well and broke it. She heard something tear in her dress, but she didn't care anymore. Those bastards of men had taken the last thing in the world that was important to her, and she was going to show her anger even if it meant getting killed in the process.

The door behind her slammed open but she didn't need to turn around to know who it was. It was silent as Sasuke stared at the girl in silence. Wha-What the hell? The chairs in his cabin had been smashed, and he was lucky it was just that. Anger rose in him as he charged forward and grabbed her arm harshly.

"What did I tell you! I told you not to touch anything IN THIS ROOM!" he yelled, but the young girl didn't seem fazed. Instead, he got a giggle, which made him very confused. The girl in front of him lifted her head and stared at him with emotionless eyes, but her mouth was curled into the most horrifying grin he had ever seen on a woman. She giggled again and tilted her head.

"What? I thought you said you were going to kill me if I touched any of your stuff. Where's that evil, maniacal pirate that decided to blow that ship up with an evil laugh? Huh?" Sakura jerked her arm out of his grasp and walked ahead of him towards the deck where the other pirates were. When she stepped out, they all turned around and gaped at her appearance. Her hair was a mess like she had gone through a hurricane, and her dress was torn in more than several places due to throwing the chairs around. When they looked at her expression, they saw the emotionless eyes and smiling lips that could normally be seen on a rabid animal.

Sakura raised her hands out to the sides, the grin still in place on her face.

"Well, c'mon, kill me! I have nothing to live for now, so why do I have to keep living? Gone on, KILL ME!" The entire deck was frozen as they stared at the glaring man in the doorway. He started walking forward to the insane girl and fingered his swords. When he reached her, her grin faltered when she looked into his eyes. They looked like they had turned red, but not with anger.

Before he could do anything to the girl, a shadow placed itself between them and there was a loud smack. Sakura's head snapped to the side, her hair hitting her bruised cheek. The pirate Nagato stood in front of her with his hand where her face used to be. Tears started to slide down her cheeks as her eyes returned to normal and her breathing increased. Placing a hand to her stinging cheek, she turned to look at the pirate with tears staining her hand and face. Nagato's face was still and without emotion as he looked down at the girl.

Sakura had to arch her neck to look up at him since he was a good few inches taller than her. Her knees started to tremble like earlier and threatened to collapse from under her, but before she could fall, strong arms caught her. Looking up again, she saw Nagato holding her with that ever-emotionless face that struck the same appearance in Sasuke. Sakura tried to hold the sob in, but it betrayed her went it vibrated through her body. Nagato started when he saw fresh tears running down her face and he glanced up at Sasuke for orders. Sasuke shrugged and jerked his head.

"Put her in another room where she'll have access to the bathroom. She is not allowed in or out under we get to the next port." Then, the most feared pirate in the world turned away from the girl in an almost gesture of disgust and walked to his cabin where he proceeded to clean the mess that girl had left.

* * *

When midnight came, all the lights were turned off on the ship and the doors had been shut. Everyone was asleep except for the watchmen and two particular people. The first was the captain who couldn't sleep due to the fact he couldn't stop thinking about their captive in the next room. He had spent hours listening to furniture being thrown around and crying before the lights went out, but now it was silent like the grave. Sighing, he turned in his bed and tried closing his eyes, but the girl's eyes and that grin were stuck in his head. How could he fuckin' sleep with those images burned into the back of his eyes? He heard a groan come from the other room, but he shut his ears with his pillow. This girl was going to be the death of him! Why did you put her in a room hat was next to him, Nagato!

The girl in the other room was silent after finally destroying all the pieces of furniture in her room, besides the bed seeing as how she would need that to sleep. Sometime during her rampage, someone had brought a change of clothes because her dress had been torn and ripped in more than several places. Now she was lying on her bed in those clothes trying to fall asleep. She groaned and flipped on to her stomach. She heard something on the other side of the wall thump and she realized that she was in the room next to Sasuke's. Grinning mischievously, she got on her knees and started pounding on the walls.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open when he heard the pounding from the other room. Did she HAVE a death wish, he thought as he growled. He wasn't the only one that could hear the pounding. Naruto, Sakaku, and Nagato could hear it since they were in the room next to hers. They all groaned and thought the same thing:

'Did she HAVE a death wish?'

The girl between them grinned evilly as she continued pounding the walls. Sure she was going to have to pay for it in the morning, but hey? What was more fun than making bloodthirsty pirates mad?

* * *

The next morning was a very slow one for four certain pirates. Three of them sat on the deck asleep while the others were running around doing their work. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from a door being slammed open and all heads turned that way. The three that were asleep sprang up and ran around trying to find something to do just to get away from the wrath of their tired captain.

Sasuke stomped to the door that was right next to his and literally kicked the door off the hinges. Sakura glanced up from hammering her table back together with the nails in her mouth. When she saw the tired captain, she smirked and continued hammering. Spitting the nails out of her mouth into her hand, she placed them on the floor. Picking one up and hammering it into the wood, she spoke with an edge of amusement.

"How was your sleep last night, Captain?" she mocked openly without looking up. Sasuke marched to where she was and smacked the hammer out of her hand, making it fly and hit the wall beside her. His hand smarted slightly as he stood there, a snarl etched on his face.

"Are you an idiot or something! I have the right mind to slice your throat on the spot for doing what you did last night!" Sakura feigned innocence as she shook her bruised hand.

"Why, I have no idea of what your talking about. You look so tired, Captain. Why don't you go back to bed and take a nap?" There was a sharp edge to Sakura's voice when she said that last word. Sasuke caught it and his lips turned into a snarl of pure fury. Grabbing her arm, he dragged her out of the room and threw her to the deck. She hit it on her butt and looked up at the man who stood towering over her. She glared up at him, and the two were oblivious to the crew who had stopped to watch him.

"Just because you are a lady does NOT mean I can't kill you!" Sasuke screamed at her. Sakura smirked.

"So, I'm assuming that the reason you haven't killed me yet was because you thought you would lose you precious 'item' right? I know why you kidnapped me, even if you won't tell me. It's for ransom, right? Since my family was so rich, you thought you could take me hostage and exchange me for money. You've probably already killed the heir to my father's company, so that makes me the new heir if my brother is dead, right? But a big bad pirate like yourself doesn't care about that. As soon as the ransom money is handed over, you're planning to kill me and then perhaps my father, leaving only my mother as the heir. What grudge do have against my family to be doing this? If what yesterday was any NORMAL plunder, you would have killed the entire crew and all other passengers as if they were nothing. Did I get everything or is there something else?"

Everyone on the ship was speechless, including Sasuke. How smart WAS this girl? She just figured out his whole plan in the blink of an eye without even investigating into it. All of a sudden, Sakura launched herself at him, knocking him to the deck. She was sitting on his waist and smirking at him. She raised a fist and brought it down to his face. The impact was so great that his jaw almost broke and blood sprayed from his mouth. As soon as the crew saw the blood on the deck, they all scrambled to get the two off each other. Sasuke had gotten the upper hand and kicked her off, making her tumble of him and hitting her head on the deck. Spots swam in her vision, and when she fought to get up, something landed on her and knocked the breath out of her. Something connected with her cheek and her head snapped back against the deck again.

Then, the pressure on her stomach was gone. Gazing through the blood in her eyes, she saw Sasuke being held back by Naruto and Sakaku. She saw this as an opening and launched herself at him again. Something grabbed her by her armpits and she looked back, a snarl on her lips. Nagato stared down at her with those emotionless eyes and she stopped, afraid of what he would do. She sagged, letting him put her arms behind her back so she wouldn't leap at Sasuke again. Tears of embarrassment pricked her eyes and she looked away hoping nobody would notice them.

Sasuke was off to the side being treated, not taking a single glance at the girl that was just feet away from him. Who in their right mind would attack HIM, Sasuke Uchiha, the most feared pirate in the world? Just eye contact would mean death to the person who made it. This girl was different in some way, as if she really DIDN'T give a shit about anything anymore. Hell, she had gone completely psycho on the subject and stood up to him.

Sasuke took a glance at the girl and saw her sitting across from Nagato who was treating her. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look at her face. Even if they were faint, he could see tear streaks on it. He didn't know if they were from the pain he had inflicted on her or from emotional stress, but he hated it. People's purposes in life were to live and die, period. There is no time for emotions in a person's short life, especially a pirate's, to deal with petty emotions like sadness, loneliness, oh, and let's not forget romance.

The pirate captain sniffed and was about to glance away when she saw Sakura lean in and put her head on Nagato's shoulder, her head wrapped in bandages and stitches over one eyebrow. Then, he saw the most awkward thing you would ever see on Sasuke's first mate's face: a blush formed on the ever emotionless face of Nagato. Even Naruto and Sakaku couldn't help but notice this. The two looked at each other, then to their captain, but he wasn't there anymore. Suddenly, a door slammed, confirming the whereabouts of their captain.

Sakura heard the door slam off in the distance, but she didn't care. That asshole of a captain can stick a pole up his ass for ruining her life. But. . . .why was she letting herself being comforted but a pirate who doesn't show any emotions? Taking her head off Nagato's shoulder, she saw what looked like a blush on his cheeks but she dismissed it when a sharp pain went through her abdomen where her scar was and she flinched. Nagato caught it and looked down, and his eyes widened. Sakura started feeling lightheaded and she glanced down at her stomach. Red spots were appearing on her white shirt and she cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Her head swam as she felt herself leaning forward and the last thing she saw was the deck of the ship.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, but immediately regretted it when the moonlight shone through a window. Wait, A WINDOW! She bolted straight up, but when she did, a really sharp pain went through her abdomen. She gasped out in pain and slammed her body back down arching her back to get the pain to go away. Finally, she let a scream of agony escape her lips and the door that was on the other side of the room slammed open. Sakura glanced to the side through crazed eyes at the person standing in the doorway. The person ran over and pulled her shirt up to examine her chest. She heard he/she say something to someone that had run over to her side and she felt pressure on both of her arms. She recognized black and yellow hair in her view, but that was all forgotten when her chest started to burn like it was on fire. Sakura screamed bloody-murder and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death to take her then and there.

Then, the pain was gone and so were the hands. Sakura opened her eyes slowly and looked to the side to look at the person that had put her through hell. A man with silver hair, an eye patch over his left eye, and a mask over the bottom part of his face was examining her chest. She was too tired to do anything, so she looked to her other side to look at the people who had held her down. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Naruto and, the most unlikely person, Sasuke. They were both breathing hard from trying to keep her down. She stared up at them and her and Sasuke's eyes made contact, but Sasuke broke the contact and walked out of the room. Naruto watched him go with a disapproving look before turning back to her.

"You are one lucky bitch, girl. You almost died back there. You've been out for about 4 days doing nothing but screaming and sleeping. Sasuke didn't want to bring you to a doctor in the port we were going to stop at, but your wound wouldn't stop bleeding and we didn't have a surgeon on board. We took you to the port we were originally going to go to and took you to a friend of ours. He fixed you up nice and good. You should have seen his face when he found out Sasuke had brought woman on board a ship!"

Sakura looked at him, then back to the man who was outing away from doctor tools. The man turned around and bowed.

"Hello, my name is Kakashi Hatake, surgeon and EX-pirate," Kakashi added. He glared at Naruto who just shrugged.

"You didn't have to mention that part. Look, now she hates you." Kakashi looked down at the girl he had stitched back together and saw her glaring at him. He put his hands up.

"My hands are clean, lass. I haven't done anything that was REMOTELY related to pirates in five years when Sasuke took over the role as captain. So, in the Pirate Code of Conduct, it stated that I needed to be punished for deserting the crew. That was how I got this." He pointed to his left eye. "As Naruto said, I was very angry with Sasuke for bringing a woman on board his ship. In the Pirate Code-"

"Excuse me, but what is the Pirate Code of Conduct?" Sakura croaked. Naruto smacked his head.

"Shit, I was suppose to tell you. But, seeing as how you were and probably still are an emotional wreck, I'll tell you now. The Pirate Code of Conduct is a set of rules a pirate must, and I mean MUST follow. There are a total of eleven Articles in it. The first one is equal voting right for the whole crew. When someone proclaims something, the crew votes on it for it to become valid or invalid. If it is decided that it should be done, then it's done, but if it isn't, that's it. The decision is brushed to the side.

"The second Article is fair share in the loot and if you take someone's share, you'll be punished. Plain and simple. The next one is that gambling is banned. Poker, black jack, and strip poker are off limits. Numero cuatro is that lights are always turned off at night. We pirates need our sleep, ya know? Five is that we need to keep up with our weapons. That's why we have belts to hold our weapons and crap. Six is that boys and woman are not allowed on ships. They become a hindrance and keep us from doing jobs. Woman especially. if we are caught bringing a woman aboard or seduce one, we are killed. Are you keeping up with me?"

Sakura nodded slowly as Kakashi started bandaging her chest. Naruto looked the other way so he wouldn't see anything.

"Number seven is penalty for desertion. Kakashi just told you what that was and its name gives it away. Eight is that there is no fighting on the deck. You're lucky Sasuke didn't kill you. All the fights will be moved to shore and matters will be settled there. Number 9 is if you lose a limb or are injured severely you get money for it depending on how bad the injury is. There have been a lot of pirates that I know who almost killed themselves for money, no joke.

"Ten is an equal share of money. That means that there are certain crewmen that get a share in the money that we plunder or steal. The last one is that there should be musicians playing if they want to. There are a couple of people in our crew that play instruments, like Nagato and Sakaku. God, you could swear they were born with the talent. Sakaku plays the cello and Nagato plays the piano, and when they play together they are in perfect harmony. They've played for us a couple times and let me tell you, they are PHENOMENAL! One minute they'll be playing smoothly, then they'll burst out into something that just brings the mood up in a heartbeat!"

Sakura giggled at the pirate's childish behavior and sat against the wall. Her eyes saddened at the memory her brother who played the piano with so much grace for a man. Tears sprung up in her eyes and they burned slightly making her brush at them. Naruto noticed this and cocked his head to get a better look at her face.

"Hey, are you okay? Why are you crying?" Sakura stared up at him with tear- filled eyes and she saw his face turn a light crimson color just like Nagato's had a couple days ago. Her eyes narrowed in confusion when he turned away clearing his throat and pulling his collar. Did it just get hot in here? He thought as the girl looked up at him. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head and rolling his one eye. Wow Naruto, how smooth, he thought sarcastically. He packed his stuff up and opened the door. He was immediately greeted to the familiar chattering of the pirates he had once been with. Surprisingly the talking died away when stepped in to the room, his body tense for something to happen since there was an immediate response to his entering.

He looked around the room for the captain of the crew who was sitting in his house. He spotted the balcony door at the back of the room open and he saw a teenager leaning on the railing. Already knowing who it was, he walked up to him and sat against the railing. Sasuke glanced at him from his peripheral vision before returning to his original position to looking out at the city of the Water Country. They had made it there without being caught by the patrols they were scouting the area. Since their ship was small enough and it wasn't very suspicious looking, they were able to get into the port without being spotted. They were ALMOST when Sakura started screaming from the pain she was experiencing, but they said to the officers that she was in labor and they barely got off the hook because the man didn't get on the ship and check on her. As soon as he got off, they were practically speeding to the port to get her fixed. Sasuke didn't get a wink of sleep for two nights because of Sakura's nonstop screaming.

There was small period of silence between them before Kakashi spoke up.

"She's officially awake now. You want to go see her? She's in an emotional state right now, so don't-"

"Shut up, Kakashi. I'm not going to go see her. The only reason I went in there was to hold her down since everyone else was afraid to even touch her. So don't go to what you were trying to say." The older man said nothing, but just looked down at the younger man. Sasuke had changed since the day most of their crew had been arrested, including his older brother. He hardly ever spoke and show any of his emotions besides rage and a rare, sadistic emotion that no regular human had. He's only seen him smile when he was a child and when he had been free of these heavy burdens that had been placed on him for over ten years.

Sasuke grimaced and turned his back on the lifeless streets below. This was DEFINITELY not going according to plan. He was suppose to have gotten the rumor to Konoha that he had taken Sakura Haruno captive and her father was suppose to pay the ransom he was putting on her head. The rumor had already started, but he had yet to hear the pleas for her safety. His plan would be ruined if this continued to fail! Turning to Kakashi, he asked,

"Is she able to walk around yet?" Kakashi blinked at the teenager's sudden change in curiosity.

"No, not yet." Then, his eyes widened when he realized what Sasuke's intentions were. He could see it in his eyes: Sasuke wanted to kill Sakura since his plan wasn't going as effective as he had wanted it to.

"No Sasuke. You're not going to kill this girl! Think about it: You've already killed her emotionally by almost killing her brother and giving her verbal and physical threats left and right. Just because you're not getting what you want doesn't mean you can quit. You have been doing that since Itachi was arrested. And don't give me that look, you know I'm right." Sasuke's lip was curled at the mention of his brother's name. His brother was the youngest pirate captain in the world and the most powerful. Just the name made everyone tremble when he came to the next harbor; that is until he came to Konoha. Konoha had been arresting pirates left and right at the time, but Itachi was determined to get through the port and get the supplies they needed. Unfortunately, the group that had gone out, including ten-year-old Itachi. Sasuke, being only five at the time, wanted to come with his older brother and help but Itachi had forced him to stay behind. But, Sasuke snuck off the ship and watched in horror as his older brother and half the crew got arrested in front of him. He was captured as well, but he escaped when Kakashi had picked him up and ran from the place.

_'Keep running! Don't let them catch him!'_

The words that Itachi had spoken were the last he had heard as Kakashi picked him up. As he had looked around, his gaze caught a pair of bright green eyes of a small girl holding on to an older man that looked like he was part of the Royal Navy. She was staring at him with curious and wide eyes with her thumb in her mouth. She was a cute toddler, but she had the most interesting hair; it was pink.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the memory and he spun around to look in the room. The door parallel to the balcony opened and out stumbled Naruto and Sakura, her arm around his neck to stay up. The chatter in the room died down quicker than Kakashi's entrance and a look of fear crossed her face. Sasuke strode forward into the room with Kakashi hot on his heels.

"Sasuke Uchiha, I swear if you do it, I will call the patrols!" Kakashi exclaimed. Sakura's eyes widened at the man's words. What is he going to do! She exclaimed in her head as he got closer. Then, a glare made its way across her face and she let go of Naruto, who stared at her, unsure of what to do. Sasuke got about four inches from her and Sakura had to look up to glare at her. There was a deadly silence between the two as they stood glaring at each other. Finally, Sakura broke the contact and spat out,

"What?" Sasuke smirked and shrugged.

"Just glad to see you up and about, Princess, because we're moving out," Sasuke said while controlling his raging anger that was burning in him. All eyes turned to him that had previously on the girl to wait for her reaction. This wasn't what the crew had agreed on. They were supposed to have waited until she was fully healed or her stitches would bust again. If that happened, then they wouldn't have a doctor on board to treat her and she would die, leaving their plan to fail. And then, Naruto, Nagato, and Sakaku's eyes widened just as Kakashi's had. Was Sasuke doing this purposely to KILL Sakura!

Nagato got up from his place by the fireplace and stood next to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, are you serious! Do you really plan on killing her just because your plan isn't going the way you like it!" Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his eyebrow raised. How was it that everyone knew what he was thinking!

"Hn." Nagato grimaced at the captain's favorite word. He knew that he wouldn't get a full answer out of him unless he used force, which he didn't think was smart. He sighed and backed away, but he was knocked aside by a blonde blur, which he only knew was Naruto. Naruto was really the ONLY one that stood up to Sasuke because they had grown up together, so he knew his weaknesses and faults but refused to tell anyone. That's what friends were for, right?

Sakura was confused and angry at the same time. He wanted to kill her because his plan wasn't going the way he liked it? Her glare turned into a look of unsure terror, her eyes shaking slightly as Sasuke turned back to her. She put her hand to her chest and clutched on to the shirt she was wearing. She didn't want to die, not like this, not at the hands of a pirate. Her breathing got harsh when Sasuke took a step toward her, the pupils in her eyes shrinking to pinpoints in the iris. She was shaking from terror and Naruto had had about enough. He stood in front of her and Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction as he watched his best friend defend the girl he had previously hated.

"Sasuke, I don't care if you're my friend or captain, but you will NOT touch her. Go ahead and kill me for treason against the captain, but I will go down protecting a woman that actually has the guts to stick up to you and your prissy ass attitude. So go on, kill me, but I swear if you even touch her, I'll haunt you and your future generations if you have any," Naruto growled to his best friend. The room was still really quiet and nobody dared to move so as to not cut the horrible tension between friends/rivals. Sakura was behind Naruto, still a little shaky. Naruto was. . . .protecting her? Why would he want to protect HER of all people?

Suddenly, she felt a hand on both of her shoulders and she looked up. Sakaku and Nagato were standing next to her, a look of determination on their faces. She blushed when she caught Nagato's gaze and looked away, slightly ashamed at the blush. Sasuke sniffed and turned his head.

"Naruto, I have got to say you are THE luckiest man on the face of this earth. Had you been someone else, you would be on the floor in a puddle of your own blood. But, you are my best friend, so I can let you go on this." He turned to the girl that was behind the blonde idiot. "And you are also lucky to be even alive at this moment, girl. Just be aware that you are in my presence always, and will remain in my head as a 'potential threat' as the foreigners would call it. Remember that." With a snap of his coat, he turned towards the door and opened it, walked out while slamming the door behind him.

The room was silent except for the wind blowing through the balcony/patio door. Then, the room erupted in chatter and yells. The shock of what happened was still setting into Sakura as she was guided to the nearest chair for her to sit in. As soon as she was sitting down, she hugged her arms around her body and rocked back and forward. That had scared the living SHIT out of her. She was about to be killed by a murderous pirate just because she wasn't important anymore. At the moment, she had a feeling come over her, something she had never felt before: loneliness. Tears started pouring down her cheeks at the sudden feeling in the pit of her stomach and she put her hands one her face and cried, ignoring the pain that she felt in her abdomen. She felt a hand on her arm and she looked up into the face of Nagato for the second time that night. His unnatural blue eyes stared into hers, making the tears come even faster. His eyes were filled with prolonged sadness and the same emotions she had seen in Sasuke's eyes. She sobbed once and looked away from him, but he forced her to look up at him.

"Sasuke's not that bad of a person, but his ego is so big that he thinks that he's better than everyone in some way. When you came along and you stood up to him, his ego just about burst when you found out his plan. He actually went so low as to punch a lady, but I guess he deserved what you gave him. You almost broke his jaw in one strike and cracked a rib. It may not look like it, but he's in pain physically and mentally. Give him some slack, he'll warm up to you."

* * *

Nagato and Naruto stayed up with her until she fell asleep around midnight. Sakaku had called being on lookout first, just to make sure there were no watchmen looking around the place. Sasuke hadn't come back yet and they were worried about him, even Sakura, well, not really but she was trying to be. A deep hatred for him was sitting in her gut waiting to be let out in another fight with him. She didn't know why, but it was FUN to get him angry because from where she lived, a girl who loved to get on the nerves of people was ignored unless she was ever spoken to. Don't get me wrong; Sakura is pretty popular in Konoha, but everywhere else she was a piece of garbage someone had thrown away.

Around two in the morning, the door opened slowly to reveal a tired Sasuke. He had left his coat on the ship where he had gone to have time for himself, but his mind was giving him a mental beating. He had a killer headache in the front of his head, which he continuously rubbed to get the pain away. He stretched his neck and walked over to the door that lead to the balcony.

Opening it, he was about to take a deep breath of fresh air when he saw a figure in one of the chairs that went along with the table. The moonlight shone on the figure, giving away the person that was sitting there; Sakura. She was in only a shirt Nagato or Naruto had let her use and she had her legs curled into her chest. Sakura heard his halting step and looked over at him. They stared at each other for a good long five minutes before Sasuke had to break the contact. Her eyes had been giving off an eerie emotion that he knew all too well; absolutely nothing. Zip; Nada; Zilch. No fear, no sadness, no anything and he didn't like it.

"What do you want?" Sakura murmured in a voice that matched her eyes. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and huffed, meaning he wasn't going to tell her anything. Sakura sighed and turned her head, tired as hell, but not wanting to go to bed. She was thinking about various and random things that were keeping her up way past her normal bedtime.

She heard Sasuke walk closer and sit down in the chair across from her, making it squeak and groan under his weight. Leaning an elbow on the railing, he stared down at the city below and watched the fog begin to roll in. Sakura stared at him through the corner of her eye, waiting for him to do something that would provoke her. Then, she saw his lips move.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura stared at him with wide eyes, completely and utterly speechless. She shook her head to clear it and her eyes were at their widest. D-Did he just apologize? Sasuke turned his head toward the girl across from him and watched her through hooded eyes. She was staring at him in shock and disbelief. Even he was a little shocked at his statement. He had never apologized before, well, not directly. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment and he turned his head away. There was a snort from across the table and he turned toward Sakura, glaring. Sakura was having uncontrollable giggles from behind her hand, finding it TOO funny to hear a pirate like SASUKE UCHIHA say, "I'm sorry" to someone.

"What?" Sasuke growled while crossing his arms. Sakura burst out laughing, doubling over in her chair and holding her stomach. Sasuke was too embarrassed to say or do anything, so he just sat there in his chair like a pouting, little kid. Finally, Sakura calmed down and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"W-Wow, that was a good laugh. I hope I didn't split my stitches because of that." She checked her stomach quickly and pulled her shirt down again when she saw that her stitches were still intact. Sakura stood up and stretched, feeling the joints in her back pop. She sighed happily before walking over to Sasuke. Said teenager looked up at her and leaned away when she leaned forward. Their eyes made contact and he saw the laughter in them again. Sakura raised a finger and poked his chest where his broken rib was. He hissed in pain and glared menacingly at her. She stared at him and smiled.

"I'm sorry, too. About that, and about this," she said softly as she stroked his jaw. His eyes widened and she laughed, turning away. "I'm going to bed. We are leaving today, right?"

Sasuke nodded slowly before getting up and walking up to her. When he was standing in front of her with his back to the doorframe, he leaned in and touched her slightly bruised cheek.

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice awkwardly soft. He turned and walked to his room. Sakura smirked and headed for her room that she had to share with Naruto and opened the door softly. Naruto was snoring loudly, his cheek pressed into his pillow and his limbs everywhere on the small bed. Sakura shook her head at his messy state and climbed into the warm bed. Pulling the covers to her chin, she turned on to her side and sighed softly. She touched her cheek, the one that Sasuke had touched, and fell asleep with a small smile on her lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Alright, crew! Get those sails hoisted until I can see them flying high. . . .and take that flag down!" Naruto added hastily when he saw their flag being put up on the mast. It was the symbol of their pirate crew, the Sharingan. The surrounding area of the flag was red with a dot in the center with what looked like three commas rotating around it. Sakura had seen it before in the newspaper warning all ships about the infamous Sharingan ship sailed by Sasuke Uchiha, the Devil of the Sea. It didn't work very well because all the ships that had come into contact with the Sharingan were now at the bottom of the ocean along with its crew.

Sakura sighed and shifted her butt onto another part of the box she was sitting on. She was getting extremely uncomfortable since she wasn't allowed to walk or run around on the ship with her injury. Every time she would get up, Nagato, Sakaku, Naruto, or even Sasuke would order her to sit down again. Her stomach whined in protest at not having any food since they had left earlier this morning, and that was hardly anything. As soon as she had crossed the door into the kitchen, she was grabbed and pulled out of the house by Naruto. The rest of the crew, including Sasuke, had already gone ahead to the ship and Naruto had been forced to wait for her. It was even under captain's orders that nobody should disturb her until she woke up.

A figure appeared in front of her and she looked up to find herself looking in a pair of brown eyes. The man had a high pigtail that was spiky, and he was very tall. His eyes showed sheer boredom, but underneath that she could see intelligence and spunk. But that was deep, deep, deep down though.

"May I help you with something?" she asked, a little irritated that he was staring at her so intently. He shrugged.

"Just wanted to get a better look at you. The last time I saw you was when you attacked Uchiha." He wiped his hand on his pants and stuck out his hand. "Name's Shikamaru Nara. Nice to meet you again." Sakura giggled and shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Nara."

"Call me Shikamaru. It's too troublesome being formal if you ask me." Sakura smiled up at him and he looked over his shoulder. "Well, I gotta scat. Here comes his Royal Pain in the Ass." Sakura looked around him and saw Sasuke walking around the deck, surveying everyone's work. Only once had he have to stop and tell someone to do something correctly. He saw Shikamaru talking to Sakura and walked over to them.

"Nara, what are you doing?" he growled. Shikamaru turned to face him.

"Just introducin' myself to the lady of the crew. She seemed lonely so I decided to brighten her day by showing her the light of Shikamaru Nara." Sakura giggled behind Shikamaru's back. Sasuke scowled at the man's attitude. He sighed and rubbed his aching head. The headache he had had since earlier this morning was still there and he didn't need a lazy ass like Shikamaru to make it worse.

"Shikamaru, just go back to work. I don't care if you just sit on the deck and fall asleep like you always do, but just stay away from her while she's healing." Shikamaru and Sakura raised their eyebrows at his statement.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Shikamaru said sarcastically. He turned on his heel and walked away from them, muttering how much of an ass Sasuke was. Sasuke groaned and put his hand to his aching head. Sakura's attention turned to him immediately and she got up.

"Sakura, sit back down," Sasuke murmured.

"No," Sakura retorted. Sasuke turned his head to her slightly, his eyes narrowed. Sakura was staring up at him with sympathetic eyes. Sasuke looked away from her and focused on the passing ocean and the seagulls that were flying over their ship. He heard Sakura sigh and sit back down on the box. He looked back down at her and watched as her eyes began to dim as she started to think about things. He had seen her a couple times where she would do the same thing while staring out at the ocean.

"What are you thinking about?" he suddenly asked before he could contain it. Sakura didn't move from her position, but muttered,

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"How my family is doing, what they're doing, if my brother-" She stopped and turned her head away from her original place. She didn't say another word, so Sasuke spoke up.

"Why don't you go in your room? You could use a nap." Sakura's head snapped to him.

"Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden? Wasn't your plan to kill me because your original plan wasn't going as smoothly as you wanted it to?" Sakura snapped at him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Well, aren't we being Miss Bitchy today?"

"What was that!" Sakura screamed. Sasuke smirked.

"You heard me. You shouldn't be speaking to me like that. Might just change my mind and kill you right now." Sakura shut up and looked away. He saw her mutter something and his lips turned into a snarl.

"What was that, bitch?" Sasuke growled. Sakura lifted her head and there was an exact copy of Sasuke's snarl. Her teeth were practically bared and her eyes were narrowed to where you could only see small slits of her green eyes. The deck had gone completely silent since their fight had started, and they were all awaiting her statement she was about to make.

"I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Since the whole time I've been on this goddamned ship, you've been treating me like a fucking dog! What have I ever done to deserve this treatment? Just because I'm the only one that has enough valors to stand up to you doesn't mean that fucking huge ego of yours has to explode. Learn how to treat people with as much respect as you show yourself!"

Sakura was breathing hard and each breath she took hurt like hell, but she didn't care. Dying was better than being with this son of a bitch. Sasuke's eyes were wide with surprise more than anything, but slowly narrowed. She had a right to hate him he knew, but to call him names was no excuse to vent her bitchy attitude on him. His fingers instinctively reached for his swords that were strapped to his belt, the ones he had inherited from his brother. The twin samurai swords were from one blade, making them thin and nimble to the touch, but strong and not to mention sharp nonetheless. Sakura glanced down at the blades and retraced her thoughts. Her eyes widened, making Naruto and Nagato step forward.

"Sasuke, take your hands off those swords before I have to tackle you," Naruto hissed. He had dropped the nickname in favor of the situation, not wanting to endanger his life as well. He slowly stepped in front of the teenager, putting a hand on the hilt of one of the protruding swords Sasuke had successfully started to pull out. Nagato and Sakaku stepped up to Sakura's side and put a hand on her waist, steadying her as she started to teeter. Her body is still weak, Nagato thought as he fully supported her. Her body was shaking a little and her knees began to buckle. Suddenly, she collapsed but Nagato caught her just in time as she fell to the deck. Her eyes had rolled to the back of her head, but she seemed unconscious. Nagato picked her up and ran to the nearest room: Sasuke's cabin.

Sasuke watched them go but did nothing to stop them, his anger making him unable to move. He slowly calmed down and turned to where the retreating group was. He saw Sakura's short pink hair swaying and it seemed to be mixing with something that was red. Then, Sakura's head rolled to the side and he got a clear look at her face. Blood was seeping from her mouth and into her hair, where it was mixing in with the light pink. His eyes widened as the door slammed close.

* * *

It seemed like an eternity until Nagato came out of Sasuke's cabin. It was past midnight by the time life had started rolling again. Naruto was sitting outside with Sasuke who had his head in his hands. Thoughts were running through his head, making his head hurt even more than it had been hours ago. The rest of the crew had gone to bed hours ago. He looked up at his mate and just stared at him through hooded eyes. Nagato didn't even take a glance at him and turned his eyes to Naruto.

"She's stable now. I couldn't really do anything since I don't know what was wrong with her. Kakashi knows, but since he isn't here he can't tell us what's wrong with her. When I took a look at her stomach, it looked like there had been a previous scar there but it was hard to see it through all the blood. It looks like it reopened the last time and the internal wounds also opened up, making her almost drown in her own blood. But, as I said, she's going to be fine."

Sakaku came out with a bunch of bloody sheets in his hand, never making eye contact with Sasuke as well. He walked past them and into the lower decks where the laundry was always placed. The deck was silent again until Sasuke broke it by standing up slowly.

"Where are you going, Teme?" Naruto asked quietly but threateningly. Sasuke turned his head to the side.

"To see if she's okay."

Naruto's eyes widened with Nagato's to match. He wanted to go see if she was okay? Had he gone bipolar or something? Naruto stood up quickly and started towards his retreating friend. If he was going to do what he thought he was, then he would have to—

Someone putting his arm in front of him suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He glanced at Nagato, confusion lighting up his face. Nagato simply shook his head while putting his arm down. Naruto's eyes were narrowed as he stared at Sasuke's back, which disappeared through the doorway. You had better not do anything Sasuke, or I swear to God I will kill you where you stand.

Sasuke closed the door behind him and just stood there. His cabin was a mess from all the running around trying to keep the girl that was now in his bed sleeping from dying. His eyes wondered from his surroundings to the figure in the bed. Her arms were over the covers while her entire body was under the sheets making it look like she was wearing a white dress. They had stripped her of her shirt in order to get to the wound that had reopened and was slowly killing her. He didn't know what to do honestly. He knew it was his fault this had happened and he actually felt guilty about it, but for the first time in his entire life he had no idea what to do.

There was a low groan from the other side of the room and his attention snapped back to Sakura. The girl turned on her side and curled the sheets into her fists from the throbbing pain that must have been radiating through her system. Sasuke walked over to her slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed. It was silent for a few more minutes before he uttered those words he had given her the previous night:

"I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Sakura's eyes fluttered open and Sasuke jerked back, the motion causing him to fall off the bed. Sakura didn't notice this as she sat up slowly, gripping her upper body in pain as she used the muscles in her stomach. Sasuke looked up at her from his sitting position on the floor and sighed, his breath he had just exhaled shaky. Getting up, he pulled a chair up and sat down beside her. Sakura stared at him from the corner of her eye; a little wary of what he would do since he was sitting next to her. Sasuke was a little uncomfortable sitting next to her so casually. He looked at her from hooded, tired eyes, their eyes gazing into each other's with hidden emotions they dare not show anyone else. Then, Sasuke sighed and rubbed his face.

"I swear you have a look on your face that could kill. Do you hate me that much?" Sakura started slightly and looked down at her hands. Slowly, she shrugged and looked back at him.

"Yeah, I guess I really hate you with all my heart. You've done and said some cruel things to me, so yeah, I guess I hate you." Sasuke looked away, but Sakura wasn't done. "But, I believe there is some good in you, even if you have a huge ego that denies everything for you." Sasuke scowled at this, making Sakura giggle lightly.

"Sometimes, I can see that you are suffering greatly even when you don't know that you are showing it. That's why I don't think all pirates are all that bad. They must have some reason why they're so cold hearted, like their wife and child was killed and they want to get revenge against the certain person who did it. Maybe they want adventure in their lives but got this life instead. Who knows? I certainly don't, but I know for a fact that you do.

"Your brother was taken away from you when you were just a small boy, that much I know because I was there that day at the harbor. I believe you and your brother were very close, so when he was arrested, you decided that you would continue down the path of a pirate in order to get revenge. I'm right, aren't I?"

Sasuke just stared at her with wide eyes. Something pricked at them and he closed his eyes briefly, only to feel something slide down his cheeks. He looked down so she couldn't see him crying, something he hadn't done in over twelve years. A hand was placed on his shaking shoulder but he didn't look up. He didn't want THIS woman of all people to see his tears. Then, the hand that was on his shoulder was joined by another on his other shoulder and both hands slid over his shoulders and around his neck. His eyes widened again as Sakura hugged him, something he had NEVER expected from HER of all people. But, nevertheless, the tears continued to come although he willed them to stop for the sake of his pride above other things. His eyes narrowed as more tears spilled over unwanted and unchecked.

Sakura knew it. This ice-cube of a man did have feelings, even when he didn't mean to show them, like now. Sasuke was crying full out now, his body racking with the sobs that now came out of his throat. All Sakura did was sit there and held him close as he let all the pent up feelings he had been keeping in since he was five. What else was she suppose to do in her current state? She didn't understand why Sasuke, the most feared pirate in the entire world, was this delicate and fragile. In front of his crew, he was the same cold, monotone bastard she had grown to know the past few days, but the Sasuke she was comforting was the one who refused to be alone in a time like this, and it scared her a little to see this new Sasuke.

Sakura felt Sasuke shift until he was away from her, his hands on her upper arms almost as if he was using her as his support. He looked at her with bloodshot eyes, a sad frown on his lips. There were still stray tears on his cheeks, which he wiped off. Sakura smiled lightly.

"Are you done?" she asked. "I think you needed just needed to hear someone say what you were feeling so you didn't have to, right?" She smirked when he gave her a scowl. Sasuke sighed and pulled away from her clearing his throat.

"Well, it seems like you're doing better. But, according to Nagato, you still need your rest before we land somewhere else. I'll just go outside now that I know that you are okay." Sasuke stood up and turned away, only to feel something pulling him back. He looked over his shoulder with a confused look on his face. Sakura was looking up at him with a blush on her face and she looked really embarrassed to be doing what she was doing.

"C-Can you take me back to my room? I feel a little weird sleeping in your bed," she murmured. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked. He walked over to her and pulled the covers off. She put a hand out for help getting up, but Sasuke grabbed her and cradled her in his arms. A look of surprise came over her face but she didn't dare move incase she would hurt herself or make him drop her. He put her down for just a second while he opened the door for them to get through. Poking his head out, he checked for the two that had previously been out there when he had left. Sighing with relief, he turned around and picked Sakura up again, making sure she was situated in his arms before hurrying into the room that was right next to his. The entire deck was empty save for the sleeping guard that was currently suppose to be on duty.

Sasuke put her on her bed with a soft thump before turning his back on her.

"We will be arriving at our destination tomorrow morning, so I suggest you get some sleep. All of us, including you, will be investigating an island that has not been put on the map yet. Good night."

"Sasuke?" Said boy turned back to the girl in the bed.

"Yeah?" Sakura looked up at him with her lips curled into a catlike smile and she was looking up at him from beneath his eyelashes.

"It's okay. You didn't have to apologize." Sasuke jerked as if he had been slapped. Had she heard him say he was sorry?

"U-Uh, yeah. Alright, g-good night." With that, he briskly walked out of the room and into his own. Once the door was closed, he leaned on it and breathed heavily. There was pink splattered on his cheeks and he rubbed his face with a shaky hand. _'That girl is going to be the death of me!'_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"LAND HO!" the lookout screamed loud enough for Sakura to hear in her cabin. She sat up slowly so she wouldn't hurt her abdomen. The door was suddenly slammed open and a very enthusiastic Naruto came bounding in with a very tired Sakaku behind him. It was still dark outside with a hint of pink on the horizon, probably making it just past dawn.

"Did you hear the lookout Sakura-chan? There's land up ahead!" Sakura's eye twitched. _'Where did the "chan" come from?'_ She turned her head to give her that icy smile that showed that she was beyond irritated. Naruto didn't seem to get the message as he was already walking towards her.

"Time to get up and get ready, Sakura-chan!" _'I swear to God if he doesn't quit calling me that I'm gonna-!'_

"Naruto, I don't think you should bother her any more. Sasuke gave orders to Nagato to get her up, not you," Sakaku yawned from under his hand.

"So? What's he gonna do, punish me?" Naruto snickered.

"Actually, I have every right to beat the crap out of you," a voice said from behind them. Naruto tensed up and turned to face Nagato, with all his power and glory, in the doorway. He had an eyebrow raised and his hands on his hips, his eyes trained on the men in front of him. Sakaku patted Naruto on the shoulder as if to say, "You're on your own, buddy" and left the room with a look from Nagato. The blue-eyed boy in the doorway walked over to Naruto and grabbed his collar.

"Out," he simply said. Naruto brushed the hand off his collar and strode out, a mean scowl on his face that was followed by a pout once he was out the door.

"I wanted to wake her up for once," Sakura heard him mutter. She shook her head in annoyance and turned her attention to Nagato who was staring after Naruto, a frown on his face.

"Did you come to wake me up? The damn look-out already did that for you," Sakura said as she stood up and stretched. Her stomach protested slightly, making her wince in pain. She sighed and walked over to Nagato.

"Are you coming? I don't think Sasuke would like it if you and I were late." It was silent for a few minutes until Nagato turned around. There was a small smile on his face as he thought of something.

"No, I don't think he would." His blue eyes met her green ones and the question came out before she could stop it:

"Are you really human?"

Nagato gave her a look of surprise as she covered her mouth. He laughed loudly, making shivers go down her spine. They weren't bad shiver, either.

"What ever gave you that idea?" Nagato asked after he had stopped laughing. Sakura blushed in embarrassment.

"W-Well, your eyes are a rare shade of blue that I've never seen before, and your facial features say it all also. Are you really human?" Sakura repeated. Nagato's face became thoughtful as he stared into the distance. Sakura waited for a few moments before she had to wave her hand in front of his face. Nagato snapped back to reality and turned to her.

". . . . .I'll tell you later, but right now we need to get out there before Sasuke decides to come look for us himself."

"Yeah, that would be pretty bad. Is he in a good mood today?" she asked, a little wary that if Sasuke were in bad mood he wouldn't be too happy. Nagato shrugged.

"When is he ever? Ever since Sakaku and I joined the crew a few years back, he's always been like this. We soon learned it was because he was seeking revenge for his brother, but I have my doubts behind the real thing." Sakura sighed and walked to the open door. Outside, the crew was running around the ship getting all the necessary supplies for the exploration of the island. Said place loomed closer with each passing second, the trees and hills becoming more obvious. Suddenly, she felt a hand on the small of her back.

"Let's go. Sasuke's out on deck and would hate for us to be doing nothing while everyone else is doing something," Nagato whispered as they made their way on deck. Nobody paid them heed as they walked towards the captain and friends. They were bent over what looked like a piece of parchment and Sasuke would point at some things now and then. When they heard their approaching footsteps, they looked up at them. Sasuke looked very tired; he had bags under his eyes and his hair was more messy than usual. Sakura's steps faltered, making Nagato push on her back again, this time harder. As she got closer, she saw the piece of parchment they were huddled around was actually a map, one that had every country in the world as of now.

"I see Nagato got you up. Good, because we're heading out as soon as the boat touches land," Sasuke grunted.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"And pray tell why?"

"Well, there could be other people there besides us, so we should keep the boat a few miles away from shore and row the rest of the way there." Sakura huffed out a breath she had been keeping in since she started talking. Sasuke rolled his eyes to think about the suggestion. He heard Naruto sidle up to him quickly.

"Teme, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Remember the last time we landed on an unknown land? We were attacked by the natives that lived there and we almost had someone die."

"Might I remind you that YOU were the one that caused them to attack us in the first place and that person was me because SOMEONE tripped me with their sword," Shikamaru said as he walked past them. Naruto blushed and growled at the crewmate.

"Shut up, lazy ass." Shikamaru shrugged and continued walking. Naruto sighed and turned back to the staring group.

"What? The sword fell out of the sheath and they took it as a threat and Shikamaru tripped over it. It wasn't my fault, technically, so you can't blame me for it." Sakura shook her head in amazement while Sasuke rolled his neck, desperately trying not to strangle the blonde. Nagato sighed and looked over the edge of the boat lazily, making Sakura remind her of Shikamaru. She sighed as well and watched as the land approached more quickly, the wind picking up and the sails expanding in size.

"So, what are we going to do if there ARE any natives on the island?" she heard Sakaku ask. Despite his older-looking appearance, she had learned earlier that he was actually a year or two younger than she, making him at least fifteen. Of course, he was taller than her and just a little more mature than Naruto, but for the being tall part, that was expected because everyone the age of fifteen and older was taller than her. Nagato stood next to the younger teenager and put a hand on his shoulder, patting it encouragingly.

"Don't worry, bro. We'll just kill them like the good pirates we are, right?" Sakura turned to them quickly, her eyes wide. BRO? Were they related? Nagato must have caught the look on her face and understood it as if he got that look all the time.

"Yes, Sakura. We are brothers, well, half brothers I guess. Our parents got married and we became brothers through that. We're, how do you say it, blood brothers practically." Sakaku nodded his head and walked away, grabbing the map that was on the table and walking away with it. Sasuke and Naruto watched as he took the map and walked back to his cabin with it. He was the mapmaker for the crew, being especially skilled in landscaping and playing the cello while his brother played the piano. Pure genius and he would have been the smartest person on the ship, but Shikamaru had already claimed that profession despite being the laziest pirate in the world.

Suddenly, the ship lurched and halted to a stop and Sakura ran over to the side. They had finally made it to the island, their ship resting neatly on the sandy beach. The water was transparent, letting her see the world of the place fish call home. She smiled, the grin almost as big as Naruto's, which was rare for anyone to copy. There were men rushing around trying to get everything packed up and ready to go as Naruto and Nagato grabbed the plank that would serve as the ladder to get them off the ship and on the supposedly deserted island. Once the plank was set, they were the first ones off with Sakura and Sasuke following close behind.

"Alright, Shikamaru, Neji, take a group with you and search the west side of the island. Sai, you and another group take the east side. Nagato, Sakaku, Naruto, and I will take the north," Sasuke said, giving out the orders he had come up with this morning. "Oh, and Sakura's coming with us so we can keep an eye on her since she's in that condition," Sasuke added quickly when he saw hands being raised to ask the question. Disappointed looks came next and he waved an irritated hand for them to leave. They all started walking their ways, taking their weapons out just in case they were attacked by something in the time they were scouting the island.

Sasuke waited until they were all gone before he pushed Sakura ahead of him, but behind Nagato and Sakaku. Sakura would be walking in front of him and Naruto but behind Nagato and Sakaku as well so they could all pay attention to her and she wouldn't get hurt by anything or get lost. Sakura got this meaning and silently thanked him for caring about her safety a bit more than he used to (which was not at all until the previous night). They all walked into the misty forest, their figures disappearing instantly.

* * *

_'Okay, this is a little creepy,'_ Sakura thought as she looked around the surrounding forest. They had been walking around for the past two hours with no hint of the sun because huge storm clouds had formed over their heads in the sky. She was afraid to ask if they could take another break since they had taken one an hour ago, and she didn't want Sasuke to get in a foul mood because of her. Her stomach was starting to whine and protest from hunger and the wound that was settled there. She had noticed the boys' discomfort as well the last time they had stopped to rest. Even Sasuke looked like he was having a hard time since he had only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Finally, Sakura stopped abruptly, causing Sasuke and Naruto to run into her. Sasuke bared his teeth when he saw her with her arms crossed and sitting on the ground.

"Why the hell did you stop?" he questioned. He SO didn't need this right now; he was tired and just wanted to get this over with and back to the ship. This girl really WAS going to be the death of him.

"I'm not taking another step until we take another break. We are all tired and that five-minute nap did absolutely NOTHING to gain the strength that we desperately need. Look at us, Sasuke; we're all tired and we want to rest. We've been up since dawn and have been on the move nonstop since then. Even you need your rest, so let's find a spot to rest for another hour so we can get some strength to keep going."

Naruto and the other two waited for Sasuke reply to that, hoping he would say yes. They were all tired, dirty (more that normal), and hungry. They needed to stop before they would collapse with exhaustion. Sasuke looked over at his crewmates and watched them as they seemed to teeter on their feet with exhaustion and sighed.

"Okay, but only for an hour, but then we have to get back up and start walking again. There needs to be a lookout every fifteen or so minutes so we can make sure we don't get attacked by anything. Now go get some rest; I'll be on first watch."

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Naruto interjected. "You're just as tired as we are, so you need to rest and I'll take the first watch. You know me: the most knuckle-headed pirate that sails the seven seas!" Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at his friend's behavior.

"All right, but don't let me catch asleep when I come around to take over," Sasuke warned as he walked over to a fallen tree that Nagato and Sakaku had already settled at. He sat down and looked up at Sakura who was still sitting on the ground.

"I thought you said you would get up when we took a break?" he teased, which Sakura smirked at.

"Just because we're taking a break doesn't mean I have to sleep next to you guys. I'd rather sit right here away from y'all if you don't mind." But, Sakura did move over to a log where she laid her head down. She closed her eyes and was asleep instantly. Sasuke sighed and looked over at the two beside him; they were asleep as well. He heard a snort and could only know that Naruto had fallen asleep on duty. . . .again. He just sat there and looked around the area they were in. It was dense with trees and other plants that were oddly shaped, the shadows of the looming trees leering eerily over them. He turned his gaze to Sakura and suddenly got worried about her since she was far from the group.

Slowly, Sasuke got up and walked quietly over to her, bending down with his arms outstretched towards her. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms like he had done the previous night. Her head rolled onto his chest and she nuzzled her face into his heavy cloak he had brought with him. They all had one, but had never bothered to put it on. Pink traveled across his cheeks but he ignored it and walked back to his spot next to the tree. Sitting down carefully, he situated her to where she was sitting next to him, her head falling on his shoulder in the process. Unconsciously, a small smile made its way on his face and he placed his cheek on the top of her head. He eyelids grew heavy and he closed them slowly, the feeling of Sakura's breathing lolling him to sleep.

* * *

Something cold fell on Nagato's nose and it twitched, his eyes opening slowly, only to be greeted by the failing light. He felt something wet fall on his nose again, and then on his face in a steady rainfall. _'Crap,'_ he thought miserably. Sitting up, he stretched his back out and ran a hand through his soaked hair, looking around the area they had fallen asleep at. It was foggy from the moisture in the air, but there was thing that was starting to alarm him: Why weren't there any animals calling out or the occasional cry of a bird? He turned to his brother who was asleep next to him and shook him roughly, causing him to jerk awake and unsheathe his sword quickly. This awoke the other man that was supposed to be on duty, who immediately stood up and pulled both his pistol and sword out of his belt.

"WHAT GOING ON?" Naruto yelled, causing the captain and lady of the group to wake up. They looked at each other and Sakura's eyes widened. She scooted back and stood up, walking away from him and over to Naruto.

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" she screamed. Naruto flinched back and turned back to Nagato.

"What the hell, Nagato? Do you want us to get caught if there's anything out there?" The older boy growled at him and looked around.

"What is it, Nagato?" Sasuke asked quietly, walking up to him.

"I have a feeling that we are not alone, Sasuke. I suggest we start moving back to the ship." Sasuke glanced around at the forest, and he could have sworn he saw a shadow move in the trees.

"That's a good idea. C'mon, let's get moving. Sakura, I want you to get beside me and don't leave my side, okay?" Sakura heard the distress in his voice and obeyed. She was starting to get a little scared herself and she literally attached herself to Sasuke. Nagato and a shaky Sakaku walked in the front with their swords out and ready with Naruto next to Sakura, his sword and pistol out. They started walking back the way they came, but the feeling of being watched was still present.

Sakura gripped Sasuke's arm tighter as the growing feeling of dread came over the group.

"I'm staring to get a little scared now," she murmured into his shoulder. "I think there is something following us."

"Yeah, there is. Let's hurry and get back to the ship. The crew must've gotten there by now," Sasuke whispered. "Nagato, make the call." The man in front of them nodded briskly. They stopped and he put his hands to his mouth. From his throat came what sounded like a dog's bark and a bird's call, his hands moving to make the sounds sound muffled or at the normal sound they were suppose to be. They waited a couple minutes so the call could make it to the ship where the crew was supposed to be. Before Sasuke made him do it again, the reply came back; two dog barks and a wolf's howl. Sasuke scowled which didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

"That sounds too close for comfort," Sasuke said. They started walking more quickly to the origin of the reply, and Sakura started to notice that the ground was getting soggier with each step. She tugged on Sasuke's sleeve and he glanced down at her, an eyebrow raised.

"The ground feels really soggy, like we're going through a march or a swamp." Sasuke looked down as well as the other boys did. The ground indeed looked swampy, much too swampy for their taste. Sasuke shook the uneasy feeling that he had aside and continued walking, pulling Sakura in the process. Unfortunately, Sakura tripped in the mud and fell, catching herself on her hands and knees. She opened her closed eyes and found herself staring into the empty eyes of a human skull. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she screamed loudly, grabbing the attention of the boys.

Sasuke immediately grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the horrifying sight, his eyes equally wide. Sakura was sobbing quietly into his shoulder as the image of the skull was burned in her mind. Naruto and Sakaku yelped in surprise as they looked around them; there were bones, mostly animal and human, all over the area they were currently standing in.

"What the FUCK is going on here!" Nagato yelled the thoughts that were running through his head. Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes narrowed.

"It seems we really aren't the only ones on this island."

"You think!" Naruto yelled angrily at him. Sakaku's eyes were wide with fear, reminding Sakura of Inari the last time she had seen him. Tears sprang to her eyes as she was gripped with fear again at the thought of there being something evil on this island. She gripped Sasuke again and refused to let go when he pulled her to her feet. Instead of pushing her off, he helped her up and put her on his back. This was not the time to be distracted by the fear they were all feeling; they needed to get out of there and fast.

They started back up into the woods quickly, not wanting to disturb the bones that lay on the ground. Suddenly, there was a large cry from the forest behind them and they twisted around and backed away from that area, too. Naruto's foot slipped into a puddle of mud and he pulled it back out quickly before he could get sucked in like the poor souls that had done so before. Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye to make sure he hadn't fallen in, and, in relief, sighed and turned back around—

To have his throat nearly sliced by a blade.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sweat ran down Sasuke's brow as he felt the tip of a blade touch his throat. He looked at its wielder and his breath caught in his throat; there really were natives on the island. The one parallel from Sasuke had spiky brown hair and face paint on his cheeks in the shape of upside-down triangles. Next to him was a dog, which was baring his sharp canines at the group. Sakura stared over Sasuke's shoulder; her eyes were wide as she stared at the natives who now held their lives in their hands. The one in front of them, the one with the spear pointing at Sasuke, cocked his head at the strange people on their land. They weren't the only ones that had trespassed on to their island; the bones in the ground were proof.

There was a yelp from behind Sasuke and he spun around, wincing slightly when the blade ripped his clothes. More of the natives had gathered around them, their spears pointed at them to where the points were nearly stabbing them. Since Sakura was on Sasuke's back, they gathered around in a circle so that she was in the middle and away from the natives. Sasuke glared at him when he took a step closer. The man caught this and stared back at him.

"What are you doing on our land, pirate?" he growled. The group blinked a couple times while they processed that these natives could talk.

"Um, excuse me?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I said, what are you doing here? This is our land, not yours so go away."

"Have you seen the rest of our crew? We thought they were around here somewhere," Sakaku asked. The man turned his attention to the younger boy and stared at him.

"There was a group of people that were pirates that had come through this area, but the left when we told them to. You should heed my words, pirate. There is another group of us that is more dangerous than us when they think they feel threatened. We promise not to do anything, but when the group I told you about does anything, there is nothing we can do. Leave while you can." Then, the man turned and walked away, his dog hesitating before following his master. Sasuke sighed with relief as the other natives left and followed their leader as well. He waited until their shadows had disappeared into the trees before he turned to the rest of his crew.

"Let's go before that group they had talked about comes and decides to pay us a visit." The other men nodded their heads and started off in front of them. The raven-haired teen felt Sakura breathe against his neck in a sigh of relief. Sasuke smiled lightly, kind of glad she wasn't really affected by the previous situation.

"Were you scared?" he asked with a voice that matched his smile. He started walking after his crewmates and Sakura caught the sincere tone he was using. She unconsciously blushed and nodded her head a little.

"Just a little. I was scared for our safety more than anything," she murmured, bringing their conversation to a whisper so the other three wouldn't hear it. Sasuke pushed her higher up his back when he felt her slipping slightly.

"I have to admit that I was a little jumpy when they appeared. It may not look it, but I really care about my comrades. Even after all that's happened between you and I, do you believe me?" He turned his head to the side and stared at her. She stared back at him with confused eyes. What was he saying; there was actually a heart in his body? That he cared for his crew more than anything else? Smiling softly, she made her decision as she nodded that she believed him. Sasuke smirked and jogged until they were with the rest of their group. Maybe this girl isn't what I thought she was, he thought as he saw the trees getting thinner and heard the rush of the waves from the ocean.

* * *

"What do you mean we have to stay here another day or two, Shikamaru?" Naruto exclaimed. Only a few minutes had passed since they made it back to the ship and they had seen the crew waiting for them outside it. As soon as they had gone up to the men and asked them what they had found, Shikamaru had given them the dreadful news. The brown-haired pirate sighed and crossed his arms.

"It's just as I had said only moments before, Naruto. Our supplies have mysteriously disappeared from the ship along with the ones we were carrying with us."

"Ours, too," Sai said. "We only dropped them so we could take a break, but when we came back, they were all gone. They weren't more than a foot away from us, Sasuke." The captain narrowed his eyes as he thought of the most probable reason for this happening.

"Sasuke, what if those men that we saw weren't lying about the other group of natives from this island?" Sakura asked. He turned to her and looked down as she stood next to him. She put a hand on his arm and gripped his sleeve, biting her lip. "We can't stay here. What if they come back? We'll have no way to defend ourselves or each other when we become outnumbered!"

"So what are you suggesting? We leave without any supplies and die at sea due to starvation and dehydration?" Sasuke asked, his eyes flashing dangerously. Sakura started and stepped away. She looked away and closed her eyes in order to calm down. Sasuke stopped himself before he could go off on her and looked away as well. The crew noticed the silence that had followed the semi-shouting and looked over at them, waiting for it to start up again.

"You know, I think we should go get more supplies before that storm over there this us," Sakaku suggested. The crew, including the two brooding teens, looked up at the sky, seeing for the first time the broiling, dark storm clouds that were coming their way. Sasuke immediately started shouting out orders.

"Get everything that is left off the ship and bring it to shore far enough to where the waves can't touch them! If you have time, put the anchor down so the ship won't go very far if the waters pulls it away!" The men started to scramble around, trying to unload items from the ship and on to the shore before the storm hit. Sakura watched them run around, doing their captain's biddings, although she just wanted to leave this island and away from the natives there. She saw Sasuke look her way worriedly a couple times, like he thought she was going to leave them and go into the forest. She sighed and slid down the tree on her butt, the feeling of the soft sand under her. Why did this have to happen to her? There are tons of other guys he could pick on instead of her, BUT WHY HER?

After a couple hours, the crew was done with the ship and was resting. The wind started to pick up, the leaves on the palm trees swaying with the force of it. Sakura's hair swayed with it, the smell of the ocean reaching her in a great wave like the ocean itself. She inhaled deeply, enjoying while it lasted before the storm would start.

"How are we going to shelter ourselves from the rain and wind?" she heard Naruto ask across her to Sasuke. They had both sat on either side of her as the storm was rolling in even faster since it was so close. Sasuke shook the piece of hair that kept falling into his eyes out of the way as he watched the crew find ways to shelter themselves.

"We could use a big palm leaf like everyone else or set out into the forest, but we already had a vote on it an hour ago. Majority rule says we stay out here for the night."

"Did you cast your vote, Sakura-chan?" Naruto leaned forward, waiting for her answer. She shrugged and put her arms around her knees. Sakura-chan, he thought sadly. "What was the count, Teme?" Sasuke looked off as he tried to remember it.

"Out of the twenty-four that voted, thirteen said they wanted to stay close to the ship while the other eleven said they wanted to go in the forest. I was one of those and so was Neji. I know you, Nagato, and Sakaku were the ones that voted that we should stay here. The only person that hasn't voted is Sakura." He turned to the girl beside him, but only saw her eyes and cheeks over the long sleeved shirt. His eyes saddened and he looked straight ahead again. Suddenly, he felt something cold hit his nose and he stared up at the sky as the rain starting pounding on them.

* * *

"This sucks," Naruto said miserably. They had eventually gone into the forest when the rain started getting harder and some of them men were NOT happy. Most of them had fallen asleep a couple hours ago, using large palm leaves as shelters from the rain. Sasuke had another pounding headache like the one the previous night. He shook the wet piece of hair that kept falling in his face out of the way of his line of vision.

"Of all the time's in this world, why did it have to rain NOW?" Shikamaru groaned. He had found a spot in a tree where the rain didn't touch him, the only spot in the tree. Naruto had called him a lucky bastard for getting the only good spot.

"It's as if God himself wants us dead," a sailor mumbled next to Nagato and Sakaku.

"Have you not learned anything? EVERYONE wants us dead, even the Almighty," Naruto said out loud for everyone to hear. The pirates in the area laughed at the funny yet true comment. Sasuke smirked and leaned his head on the trunk of the tree he had sat under. Naruto and Sakura had sat beside him since everyone else had gone off to a separate area in small groups. It went silent again as all the pirates started to drift off to sleep. Sasuke heard Naruto start to snore, so that meant everyone else had gone to sleep as well. That was the thing; you knew when everyone else was asleep when Naruto went to sleep because he was the one that kept everybody up.

Sasuke took a peek at his blonde friend and saw that he had indeed fallen asleep. All of a sudden, he felt a small shiver beside him and he glanced at the girl next to him. She was shivering from the cold and was huddled in a ball in the overcoat Nagato had gotten her from the supplies they had gotten off the ship. All the supplies that were left were, thankfully, dry and warm from being in the ship for so long. He frowned slightly and put an arm around her shoulders to give her some kind of comfort. Sensing the heat that his body gave off, she put herself in the crook of his arm and sighed quietly, falling into a more comfortable sleep than before.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile down at her. He put his cheek on her head carefully so he wouldn't wake her up and let his eyes close. Like hours before, he let her even breathing and the pattering of the rain drift him off to sleep.

Sakura woke up when she heard a stick crack under something's mass. Her eyes widened when she saw shadows moving about the trees. She knew Sasuke had put an arm around her when she had fallen asleep, so she shifted in his arms to where her arms were around his chest and gripped his shirt. Sasuke felt the strain on his shirt and his eyes opened lazily to look at the girl in his arms.

"Sasuke, there's something out there," she whispered, jerking her head towards the trees. The raven-haired teenager glanced at the trees, but didn't see anything.

"Sakura, you must be seeing things. Go back to-" Suddenly, a large spear stuck itself in the wood above his head. His eyes widened in disbelief that she had been right at the beginning: It wasn't safe to be in the woods after all!

"EVERYONE! GET UP AND GET OUT OF THE FOREST, NOW!" Sasuke yelled so loud the birds in the trees flew away. The sailors woke up immediately and made a mad dash to get out of the forest. As soon as the touched the border that separated the beach from the forest, arrows came from the darkness, piercing those that were range. Their screams of pain echoed to the rest of the crew that were fighting the natives that had come out and attacked them. Sasuke took the swords out of their sheaths and sliced at the nearest native that had come up to him. It went through the man's chest, blood splashing out of the wound. Sakura's eyes widened as more blood was spilt in front of her.

Sakura felt a hand on her arm, pulling her to her feet. She looked up and saw Nagato's blue eyes looking down at her, signs of distress written all over his face.

"Sakura, we need to get you out of here!" he exclaimed. He swung his sword around and plunged it into a surprised native who had his spear raised to slice him. The next thing she knew, she was running through the trees and away from the fight. Nagato was pulling her away and she could hear people running with them. There were gunshots from pistols behind them and she looked back. Naruto and Sakaku were shooting blindly behind them with Shikamaru and Neji running beside them. Sasuke and Sai were maneuvering themselves through the trees, slicing the branches out of the way. She caught Sasuke's eye and he narrowed them as he jumped through a clearing in the trees to join them, Sai on his heels.

"I think those are the guys those other natives were talking about!" Sakaku managed to say in between gasps. They had hidden themselves in the trees, trying to hide as the natives were searching for them. They were really close so the remaining pirates had to stay silent. Sakura had tears running down her face as she struggled to breathe, the humidity and the cold closing her throat to where she was having difficulty breathing. Nagato and Sasuke were sitting next to her, rubbing her back in an effort to help get the oxygen back in her system.

"Is she going to be okay?" Sai asked. They had been worried about her ever since they had stopped because she had nearly collapsed as she struggled to get the oxygen from her lungs. Nagato shrugged slightly.

"I don't know. This happens to me sometimes when I run a lot, so I think it might be because she has breathing problems, like asthma. Do you have asthma, Sakura?" The girl shrugged, and he noticed her breathing was becoming normal again. Finally, she was breathing normally, but the tears were still falling as she thought about the crew they had left alone. She sobbed once and put her face in the closest shoulder, which happened to be Nagato's. The same blush that had been on his face a few days ago appeared on it again, which earned a scowl from Sasuke. Wait! Why do I even care about that? Sasuke thought. He turned his head away from them and stared out into the trees where the natives were moving around, calling to one another in their language.

Then, they heard the footfalls of the natives going away, relief flooding through them, the thought of the natives finally giving up on them. Sakura stopped crying when she heard the natives go away and looked up and around to see what everyone was going to do. Sasuke signaled Shikamaru to check and he poked his head over the bushes they were hiding behind. He sat back down and gave the thumbs up for Sasuke to signal the retreat. Sasuke nodded and stood up slowly, checking the now quiet area around them. They stepped on the path they and the natives had been running on and started walking quickly back to their ship. They had to get out of there, but Sakura had other plans.

Sakura stopped; making everyone that was behind her stop, too. Sasuke noticed this and stopped as well.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" he hissed. Sakura's breath quivered before she picked her head up and stared straight at him.

"I'm not leaving this island until we go back for the rest of our crew," she whispered coldly. This was what she wanted and she was going to GET IT her way, whether he liked it or not. Everyone stared at her, too stunned to say anything until Naruto had the heart to ask in a strangled voice:

"Why?"

"If you haven't realized by now," Neji stated, "we are on the run from a pack of blood-driven, crazy, cannibalistic natives that want to kill us for just setting a foot on this god-forsaken island!"

"I know, but the men that were left to die deserve a life that you all get to have because of me!" Sakura cried. "Guys, please," she begged. She turned to the captain of the crew who had his head down. "Sasuke, those men that we abandoned are the men that keep your ship in order and are people you consider your friend, if I am not mistaken." Sasuke snapped his head up and met her bright eyes with his dark ones. He saw the tears that threatened to spill over, but also saw the burning determination and will power behind the unshed tears. He looked away, biting his lip. Finally, he sighed and looked back at her.

"Fine, we'll go save them." He saw the relief in her eyes and she smiled gratefully at him and he couldn't help but give her a rare smile.

"But what happens when we're caught?" A voice interrupted the short silence. They turned to Sai. His eyes were filled with uncertainty and fear. "What will we do then?" Sakura closed her eyes and thought of the answer. After a few moments, Sasuke inclined his head towards her, looking to see if she was okay but jerked back when her head shot. There was a smirk, more of a smile, on her face that made it light up. Her answer didn't shock them, but what did shock them was the way she said it:

"We fight, of course!" They all stared at her, and then grins broke out as they agreed with the idea. Naruto smirked and patted her shoulder.

"Now THAT is how a real pirates talks!" Sakura blushed and looked down. There was a slight blush on Naruto's cheeks as well as he walked towards Sasuke. The captain smirked and patted his back as well.

"I'm assuming you told her the Pirate Code?"

"Yep! She wasn't too thrilled at the time, but she's soaked it all in and I believe she will make a fantastic pirate!"

Sasuke smirked and held up a hand for everyone to get quiet. "We had better head out if we want to find the natives by nightfall. It's going to get dangerous from here, so I'll give anyone who wants to back out a chance. This does not go under the Pirate Code, but there will be a punishment to say the least. So, any takers?" No answer. "Good, then let's go."

"I don't think so, pirate," a husky voice sad behind the group. They all froze and looked behind them. A couple of the natives from earlier that day were standing there but without weapons. The leader was there as well, along with his large dog. Nagato, who was close to Sakura, moved in front of her to shield her away from the natives. The man put his hands up in a sign of peace, and then in front of him as of he wanted Sasuke to shake it. Sasuke glanced down at it in confusion. The leader cracked a cocky grin, showing amazingly white teeth with two slightly large canines.

"If you're going to go after your friends, then allow us to accompany you there. It's time we taught these other natives a little thing or two about the manners of this island. We've been meaning to do so for quite some time now. So, how about a little peace between us, or just for now?"

Sasuke considered the offer, but then stuck his hand out to shake the man's.

"I think we now have a temporary peace between us. All we ask of you is to not turn your backs on us and attack. Deal?"

"Deal. By the way, the name is Kiba. My dog's name is Akamaru. Don't worry, miss, he doesn't bite." Kiba added when Sakura cringed when Akamaru started sniffing her. This didn't seem to help, even though she nodded shakily. Nagato looked up at the darkening sky as it started raining again.

"I think we've wasted enough of the day. We should rest up before we start traveling again."

Sakura shook her head. "No, we need to go NOW! Who knows what they could be doing the men!" She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Sasuke frowning.

"Wasn't it you that said less than forty-eight hours ago that we should get our energy stored up before we start traveling again?" Sakura looked away, her lip quivering a little.

"I-I know, but-"

"You guys can stay in our village," Kiba interrupted them before a fight broke out. He knew one was coming and he didn't want to be part of it. He nodded his head in the opposite direction. "It's just over there, not too far from here. We keep it well covered in case someone decides to come for a visit. What do you say?"

Sasuke looked down at Sakura who didn't say anything to the comment then back up to the native. He nodded and urged the girl next to him to start moving, which she did but hesitantly. The rest of the crew started walking behind them, all on the alert for the other natives if they decided to come back. Every now and then, Sasuke would glance at the silent Sakura, and finally sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but this is for the crew, not just me or you. We all need to catch up on our sleep, especially since you have that wound. Just trust me, okay?" He saw Sakura nod slightly and he sighed again. For some reason, he felt a hollow feeling in his stomach, the one that he normally got when he felt like something was going to happen, and his mind wondered to the battle that might take place the next day.

Then, his mind wondered to Sakura and his eyes did as well. There was no way she was going to take no for an answer if he told her to stay back in the village, so, how was he going to keep her and his crew away from death's clutches while his life was already hanging on the thin cord all pirates' lives hang on? Only one way to find out, but that could wait for tomorrow because he needed sleep unless he wanted to go insane from the pressure and exhaustion he was feeling at that moment, and it was all because of ONE girl that turned out to be a mistake from the beginning, or, maybe not?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"How are we going to approach this kind of situation when we don't have any weapons with us? They were all stolen when those barbarians, no offense Kiba, stole them all!"

"The only thing we need to do is focus on rescuing the men form them. I was talking to Kiba an hour ago and he said they normally don't do anything until just a little after dawn. That's in twelve hours, so we have plenty of time to do what we can to prepare for it." Suddenly, hands were slammed onto the table the crew were at as two of them got up and started arguing over the fact that they were suppose to rescue the remaining crew who had been captured by the blood-thirsty natives. They were now at the other native's camp, the one's that had agreed to help them get their crewmates back. At the moment, Nagato and Naruto were in a heated discussion about what to do when it came to defending themselves if they were caught in the action.

"And by prepare do you mean wait it out until there is no time left? You have no authority over the rest of this crew, only the captain does! Since there is no first mate according to the previous votes several years ago! The only reason you have jurisdiction over that role is because Sasuke thinks you are more responsible out of the entire crew! Stop screwing around and act the 'responsible' man Sasuke thinks you are!"

"What about you? I can see the reason why you weren't chosen as first mate because you are the LEAST responsible of this crew! You don't know when to shut up or when to stop at something when someone tells you once to stop! You're just a little kid who's so lonely he thinks he needs to be the center of attention when he knows he isn't wanted!" That did it for Naruto. He growled and sprang at Nagato, his hands curled into claws. They went down with a bang as the table flipped over and their chairs went flying. They landed on the floor, fists going at each other in a blur of punches. The rest of the crew sprang up and tried to get the two off each other but avoiding the fists that were flying everywhere.

Suddenly, there was a deafening bang that filled the tent they were all in. The fighting stopped and they turned to the entryway. Sasuke stood there, his pistol smoking and an angry scowl on his face. Sakura and Sakaku were with him as well as Kiba, who only shook his head at the mess they had made. Who could blame them; they were pirates after all. Sakaku made a beeline for Nagato who was sporting a bruised cheek and possibly a fractured wrist along with split knuckles. Sakura narrowed her eyes in disappointment at their behavior, but she was thinking the same thing as Kiba.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Sasuke yelled. He just wanted to get some peace and quiet after that long day, but NO, he had to be fated with this unmannered bunch of kids! "I thought you were all going to have a discussion about what we are going to do in the morning? I didn't expect to find a wrestling match instead of a mature debate between ADULTS." It was silent expect for the small, almost inaudible tapping of blood on the ground that was coming from Naruto's and Nagato's open wounds. Sasuke sighed and turned to Kiba. "Do you have a doctor to patch these two idiots up?"

Kiba shook his head. "No. We lost the one we had in the last battle between the other natives. It was a heavy loss because we lost half our men in that battle. None of the women in the village will be the new doctor."

Sasuke sighed tiredly and looked over at Sakura. His eyes grew wide when he saw her healing them with some kind of plant. Then, an idea came into his head that made him smile.

"Sakura, how long have you been using healing methods?" he asked, that smile still on his face. Sakura stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "About three years, why?" They stared at each other for a few minutes, onyx into green. Suddenly, her eyes grew really wide and she shook her head fast when she realized what his intentions were. "NO! I am NOT going to be some village's healer. We have a job to do tomorrow and I am NOT wasting my energy because I have to stay here and tend to these people! Are you saying I can't come with you guys?" She looked around the room, but everyone avoided her look and she started to get a little angry and she stood up, dropping everything she was holding. Walking over to Sasuke whose smirk had disappeared when she started walking over to him, she stopped when she was right in front of him. Then, she took the slightest breath before she tackled him.

They both fell to the ground just as Naruto and Nagato had those several minutes ago. Just as before, there was a delayed reaction in the crew that was just standing there. Nagato and Naruto were the first ones to reach the struggling pair and tried to pry them off each other. Sakura sat on top of Sasuke and was punching him in the face with her right hand while the other one was holding him in place by his shirt.

"Why *punch* don't you *punch* ever *punch* trust me in something as serious as this *punch*?" Sakura punctured every few words with a punch and she could feel something break every time she punched him. But, as she punched him and kept breaking a different bone, she started to notice that he wasn't fighting back. And that just made her even angrier because she got the idea that he was going soft on her. Tears of frustration filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"And why won't you fight back? If you're going soft on me, Uchiha, I swear to God Himself I will kill you!" Her voice started to crack and her punches got weaker. Sasuke just lay there on the ground taking everything she was giving him. There was blood pooling from his mouth and on the ground from a split lip and his eye was starting to swell up a bit. When the punches to his face started to subside to nothing, he took this chance to sit up a little and ever so slowly. Now Sakura was sitting between his legs weeping her eyes out, the tears running down her cheeks in rivers.

His cheekbones were broken in several places and his nose was broken; he was going to have a black eye and would have to have a couple stitches on his forehead, but none of this compared to what he could see happening in Sakura's heart. He had been the one to break it into millions of pieces and there was nothing he could do about it.

The girl in front of him that had broken down in tears didn't notice him sit up slowly and just sit there staring at her thinking about how he had ruined her once perfect life. She also didn't notice that he was putting an arm around her shaking shoulders until he had put her head on his shoulder. Sakura's eyes widened then narrowed as she started crying again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight when she felt someone to their right put a hand out to get her off. Sasuke just shook his head and stood up carefully; wincing in pain at the wounds she had conflicted on him. Sakura still held on tight when he picked her up the same way he had done two nights ago and walked towards the opening of the tent.

"I'm going to put her in her tent and when I come back, I had better hear a plan about tomorrow, do you all understand?" Heads nodded and he whisked out of the tent and into the one a few ways down. The light was on inside and he pushed the flap back to enter. He walked over to the mat that was on the ground and set Sakura down on it and stared at her as the tears rolled down her cheeks. His eyes narrowed in sorrow and he stood back up to leave and find SOME kind of medical attention about his throbbing face.

"Sasuke?" he heard her whisper from behind him. He stopped and inclined his head back to her, an eyebrow raised. "Yes?" He saw her shift uncomfortably before she lifted her eyes to his. "Do you want me to heal you? There isn't much I can do about the breaks but I can relieve the pain and stitch up the scratch on your forehead." Sasuke stared at her, but he turned to her without a reply and sat back down. He sat up straight as she got some medical equipment from her bag that some of the village women had given to her when they arrived. She had gone out and gotten some medical herbs that she knew would become useful in the near future when the men would, hopefully, come back. If she couldn't fight with them, then she had to become useful in some way.

"Sasuke, hold still if you want me to stitch it properly. Do you want an ugly scar on your face?" Sakura questioned as she started stitching the deep scratch on his forehead. Sasuke had started fidgeting when she had started on his forehead, the pain giving him a piercing headache in the process.

"Sorry, God." A sharp slap to his bruised arm silenced him and he hissed as the pain radiated through his head and body. Sakura sniffed at his immature nature and broke the thread that she had used to stitch his head with. "There, all good."

"Thanks," Sasuke murmured and sat up straighter than he had been for the past hour and a half. Sakura rolled her eyes and looked around the messed up tent. There were bandages lying in random areas where she had torn them off from the original strip (and they had gotten into an argument where they threw pieces at each other). Dirty bowls in which she had used to crush the plants and herbs in where placed around her in a sort of semi-circle and there were bloody pieces of cloth from when she had accidentally done something wrong.

Sasuke popped his back and stood up to leave. "Thanks again."

"Wait, I have a question," Sakura said quickly. Sasuke sighed and looked back. "Yes?" Sakura twiddled with a piece of hair. "Why are you always saying 'Thank you' and 'Sorry' a lot? You never used to do that until a few days ago." The dark-haired teen raised his eyebrows and looked up, thinking. Sakura actually thought this pose was pretty funny and giggled, but Sasuke didn't notice her silent laughter; he was thinking about why he kept saying things he hadn't said in his life to HER of all people! Finding no possible explanation, he looked back down at her and noticed she was shaking with laughter. He frowned slightly and bent his knees to her level.

"What do you find so amusing about me, Sakura Haruno?" he asked. Sakura stopped abruptly at his attitude and turned away from him, a smirk on her face.

"Nothing," she stated sarcastically. Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned in closer.

"You know you want to tell me. What do you REALLY think of me? Do you really hate me or is that just a cover for your true feelings? Admit it; every girl that I have met in my lifetime as a pirate has found me 'devilishly handsome.'" Sakura's face twisted in disgust and she leaned away.

"Ha, keep dreaming, lover boy. You will never, let me repeat, NEVER get me to fall in love with you," Sakura said turning her body away from him. Sasuke rolled his eyes and got up to leave again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura's shoulders slump and her eyes were downcast, almost uncertain. Her fingers began to knot themselves together in a nervous way, kind of the way someone would be deciding something that they couldn't make their mind up on. Sasuke's eye's narrowed when he felt something in his chest that he couldn't explain. The only other time he had felt this was when he had felt guilty about stealing something for the first time, but that was years ago when he was a small boy. Is it guilt? He thought when he turned all the way to face her. Why should he feel guilty at a time like this?

Sakura heard him pause at the tent door but didn't look up at him. Different emotions were racing through her head at the moment it was confusing her to no end. Did she have feelings for this pirate that had ruined her life just a week before all this had happened? No, of course not! How in the world that happen; this was a ruthless killer who cared about no one but himself. How could she, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, fall for someone as cruel and heartless as Sasuke Uchiha?

Suddenly, Sakura heard Sasuke walk closer to her slowly and drop to his knees in front of her.

"Sakura, if I told you something would you keep it a secret?" he whispered in her ear. She felt dizzy all of a sudden but nodded. "If I told you I'm more than a human, would you believe me? Would you trust me enough to stay with the crew and I?" The question stunned her for a second and she backed away from his form slightly. Something other than a human? She thought. Instead of doing what her mind was telling her to say, she did what her heart told her to do; she nodded. Sasuke adverted his eyes for a second, closing his eyes tightly. He couldn't believe he was doing this; he has never shown this to anyone unless that person had a death wish, but his mind was telling him that she was an exception.

His eyes were starting to sting telling him that what he was going to show her was there. Slowly, he opened his eyes and watched as the world became clearer and he heard Sakura gasp. Sasuke stared at her, disappointment and sadness in his newly transformed eyes.

Sakura gasped when Sasuke turned to look at her with what he wanted to show her. What she saw shocked her beyond anything before; Sasuke's eyes had changed. They were now like the flag that was on the topmast flowing dangerously to let all ships know who they were. Instead of the dark ones she was used to, she had received a blood red, rotating pair that showed death and mayhem. Indeed the commas that were on his red irises were rotating in a circle around the black pupil, and without even realizing it she had become entranced in them. She snapped out of her dreamlike state when she saw what looked like sadness and disappointment in his eyes from her reaction. Guilt set in her stomach and she looked him straight in the eyes. Then, she smiled.

Sasuke looked at her in confusion; wasn't she scared like he thought she was. Guessing his thoughts, she shook her head and said:

"I'm not scared, Sasuke. Why should I be?"

"Because the only people that have seen my eyes are the ones that are at the bottom of the sea or seven feet under," Sasuke murmured and his eyes faded back to their onyx. His eyes met her green ones, the kind that sparkled in the light and made butterflies fly in his stomach. He looked away from them with hesitation at the ground, but was forced to look at her again when she put a hand on each of his cheeks to make him face her.

"Sasuke, that is nothing to be ashamed about-"

"Don't say that! I have every right to be ashamed! These eyes have killed thousands of people and I am not proud of it! Do you think I am?" he yelled. He really doesn't like what he has in life, Sakura thought. Sasuke looked away again and put his cheek on his shoulder. How can anyone not be ashamed of something as hideous as his eyes? Sakura stared at him for a second before scooting closer to him and leaning in closer to his face. He looked at Sakura from the corner of his eye when he saw her get close to him. Why is it when I'm with her I feel safe and secure? He thought. His forehead met her shoulder when he felt exhaustion take control of his body.

Sakura felt Sasuke put his head on her shoulder and his body sagged slightly. When she looked down at him, she saw he had fallen asleep on her shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed and she guessed he wasn't very comfortable in that position, so she grabbed his shoulders and maneuvered him to where he was lying on his back on the mat that was suppose to be hers. She sighed simultaneously with him as he sighed in contentment of the soft pallet she was given. Again, she guessed that this was the first time he has had a good night's sleep in a while. Now, the question was: Where was she going to sleep?

The outside had gone silent a while ago so that was out of the question to go sleep with one of the other guys. She didn't want to go sleep with the natives because she was still scared they would do something to her in her sleep. Sakura stared down at the sleeping boy and sighed, but she sat down beside him and scooted close to him for warmth since there was no blanket; but hell, who needed one in the freakin' tropics? When Sakura was close to him without touching him but still in reach of him if something happened, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. Opening her eyes again, she turned on her side facing Sasuke. She smiled when she saw the peaceful look on his face; his mouth was slightly open but his eyes had softened. She reached up and touched his cheek, stroking it delicately. How can anyone this peaceful looking be such a killer?

Scooting closer to where she was curled in his side, her eyes finally closed as Sasuke's body heat acted as her blanket and him as her comfort.

* * *

"Alright, mates!" Naruto yelled. "Get those weapons prepared and the supplies loaded up. We need to get there before dawn or we'll be too late!" It was the next morning and everyone was up and about getting the supplies and necessities they needed for the battle that was soon to commence in less than two hours. Sasuke walked around the lively camp where he ran into Shikamaru.

"What are the reports, Nara?" he ordered. Shikamaru shook his wet hair out of his face as he swept his gaze around. The rain had started less than hour ago and was making the getting around hard since the ground had become mud.

"Every thing is going great as long as this rain keeps raining. Kiba and I spoke a couple minutes ago and he said this weather was perfect for cover when we get there. As long as we don't light anything then we should be fine."

"Perfect. Thanks, Nara," Sasuke said as he looked around for the native leader. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. What did he just say to me? Sasuke caught his look and stared at him. "What?"

"Did you just thank me?" Sasuke flinched and looked away. Crap, this apologizing and thanking people shit has GOT to stop, he thought.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You NEVER thank anyone, Uchiha. Has Sakura gotten to your head or something?" Sasuke opened his mouth to say something crude and ungentlemanly to him when he heard someone call his name. "I'll, uh, talk to you later, Nara. Gotta go." With that, he sped off from a very surprised Shikamaru. Sasuke ran up to Kiba who was preparing his warriors for combat if they needed help.

"All my men are prepared to fight with you, pirate—I mean Sasuke." Kiba stared at him and gave him that wolfish grin. "It's about time we showed our rival tribe a thing or two about what we can do, am I right?" Sasuke smirked and put his hands in his pockets. "It's about time we start heading out, right?" Kiba nodded and watched as his eyes wandered over to a certain pink haired girl who was walking around observing the work that was going on about them. There was a look of sorrow on her face; she desperately wanted to go with them because she thought it was mostly her fault that they had been taken. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in understanding and he patted Kiba's shoulder to tell him he was leaving, whom responded with a curt nod. Sasuke walked away swiftly towards the solemn girl. Once he was to her, he quickly grabbed her elbow and towed her to a reclusive area in the camp.

Sakura was surprised when she was suddenly grabbed by the elbow and tugged to another area other than the busy one. Sasuke stood her in front of him and put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Sakura, I want to give you something before we leave," he whispered. Sakura stared at him in confusion as he searched in his breast pocket and then in his pants pocket. He breathed out an "Aha" when he had found it and pulled out the item that he had been searching for. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw the gold-hilted knife he pulled out of his pocket. He took her hand and placed the knife in it and closed her fingers around the blade.

"Sasuke, what-?"

"Sakura, no matter what happens, don't come after us. You need to stay safe if you ever want to get back home," Sasuke said in his monotonous voice. Sakura stared at the knife as he walked off to join the remaining crew who were waiting impatiently for him. She smiled and looked up just in time to watch them as they disappeared into the trees to go free the captured crew.

Sasuke stood next to Kiba as they walked quickly through the soggy woods to the camp of the enemy tribe. Nagato caught up to him as they heard the war cries from what they presumed was the tribe to the natives.

"Do you think it was a good idea leaving Sakura behind with no one to watch after her?" he asked quietly. Sasuke nodded once and lowered his voice even more than Nagato did.

"Yeah. I told her to not follow us no matter what, even if we don't come back." Nagato sighed silently and turned his attention forward, but stopped when the entire group in front of them stopped. Sasuke nearly shoved his way through to the front until he came to a complete and utter stop when he saw the scene below that made his skin crawl and a shiver went up his spine. 'Since when did natives have guillotines?' The remaining crew thought in disbelief. It was tall, almost nine feet in height and maybe five in width; the string from which the blade would be released from swing in the breeze that added the goose-bumps that had already set themselves on their skin. And the blade –oh the blade— looked menacing as it gleamed in the firelight and the shadows of the dancing natives pranced around it in a circle. It was an awful sight to those who hadn't seen a guillotine before.

"W-What the hell?" Naruto stuttered upon seeing the cruel beast. Kiba sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ever since last fall, these natives have caught and slaughtered so many innocent people who had been stranded on this island using this mechanism. I believe it's called a guillotine, correct?" Sasuke nodded slowly as memories from close encounters with the horrible death machine made him shudder. A hand made its way onto his shoulder and he looked back to see Naruto there with a frown on his face. Sasuke shook his head and turned toward the camp that was straight ahead.

"Uchiha, look." Shikamaru pointed to an area away from the dancing natives and heads turned to look.

"It's the remaining crew!" Sakaku exclaimed quietly. The men that had been captured were strapped to trees to hold them there until the time came. Sasuke looked Kiba in the eye and patted his bare shoulder.

"You find a way to distract them while we get over there and cut them down. We have an hour before dawn, so we have to act quickly. Do you think you can do that?" Kiba grinned and patted Akamaru on the head.

"Oh course! We would risk our lives if it meant getting back at these fools who dared destroying our good name." Sasuke smirked and they shook hands.

"When our time comes to attack, we'll give the signal, alright?" That made everyone turn their heads to look at them in confusion. 'What signal?' They all thought angrily. Sasuke waved his hands at them to forget it and focus on the mission ahead. Naruto strode up to him and whispered in his ear:

"You have a LOT of explaining to do later, Teme." Sasuke rolled his eyes and started trotting through the dense woods to where the crew was held. Naruto and Nagato went with him while Sai, Neji, and Shikamaru stayed for backup in case they needed it. When they were almost there, Sasuke stopped them.

"Alright, so here's the plan. We're going to untie them quickly and drag them back up to where Kiba and the others will be waiting. There's a good chance though that we'll be caught before we get the fifth down. By then it'll be too late to get the others down in time. Just by looking at the possibility of getting them all down is a thirty percent chance. Are you all willing to do that and risk your life for their cause?"

"Absolutely, Teme!"

"I'd rather die than lose half the crew." Sasuke smirked and faced the other way towards the unconscious crew. 'All right then; here we go' Sasuke thought as they walked closer. The closer they got to the crew made their heart beats incredibly fast and their stomachs made flip flops with each step. Sasuke stopped at the first tree and reached inside his pocket for a knife, but then stopped as a painful memory came to his mind.

"Fuck! I gave my knife to Sakura before we left!" he cursed. Naruto and Nagato spun to him with looks of dread on their faces.

"Are you fucking serious, Sasuke?" Nagato hissed. Suddenly, he shut up quickly and hid behind the tree he had been cutting the sailor down from. Naruto gave a yelp and thumped down quietly and Nagato covered his mouth. Sasuke took a glance at what they saw and his eyes widened; Kiba was walking around the camp, smiling smugly as he marched up to the chief of the natives. They caught each other's eyes and he winked almost invisibly to those around him. Sasuke understood and smirked, signaling the other two to continue cutting the ropes binding the men. 'You sly son of a bitch' he thought as he started searching his pockets for an extra knife. Then, a knife was dropped at his bent knees and he recognized it instantly; it was the knife he had given to Sakura! He heard a gasp come from beside him, but he didn't need to look up to know who was standing above him. Still, it had surprised him that Sakura hadn't obeyed him when he told her to stay.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Sakura?" he hissed, but when he looked up, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Sakura! No!" he heard Nagato exclaim. 'No! You're not doing what I think you're doing!' Sasuke thought as he looked up. But there she was, her short pink hair swaying behind her as she walked right into the camp. Kiba turned at the sound of footsteps coming towards them and his mouth opened to cuss the person out, but stopped when he saw whom it was. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped, revealing the sharp canines he was going to use on the leader if it was necessary. Sasuke's face twisted in pure horror when he saw her reach into her pocket and pull out a pistol; the one he had been searching for since last night. He had lost it on their run from the natives, but now he knew where it was: in Sakura's hands.

Sakura pointed the loaded pistol at the chief who recoiled in fear at the weapon. The girl's bangs shaded her eyes as she cocked it and put her finger on the trigger. Her frown turned into a smirk that curled evilly and her finger squeezed the trigger. Sasuke saw her lips move and barely, just barely, heard the words that came out of her mouth.

_"Run."_ **BANG!**

It was silent as the bang from the gun rang out for miles, signaling that she had shot the leader. The native's head rolled back with a hole in the middle where the bullet had made contact. The next thing they all knew, the whole place went into utter chaos and Sasuke lost sight of Sakura for a split second until he saw her being carried away by Kiba and he saw her struggling against his arms.

"Sasuke! Cut them free! They're awake!" he heard a voice shout in his ear and he started furiously cutting the ropes with the knife Sakura had given him. The gun blasting must have woken the pirates up and they struggling against the ropes holding them. Once they were all free, they made a straight beeline for the woods. A battle had broken out in the camp meanwhile between the natives and pirates. Sasuke made sure the men were safe before looking for the source of the problem. He sought her out when he heard a gun go off and he ran for the spot he had heard it.

* * *

Sakura didn't know why she did it, but as soon as they had disappeared, she took a break for the tent she and Sasuke had shared the night before. Just the thought of them falling asleep in each other's arms made her blush before she entered it. Once inside, she started gathering the necessary items for what she thought was going to be a raid type of thing, the ones they do all the time before she met the crew. As soon as she thought she had everything she needed, including the knife Sasuke had given to her moments before they had left, she started searching for the item she had stolen from him the previous night. Digging into the jacket she had been given, she pulled out a pistol she had stolen from Sasuke before they were chased into the forest. She smiled and tucked it away in her breast pocket before turning away and walking out of the tent.

Sneaking away would give a bad name to her, so she merely strode right out of the camp and off into the darkness. After a good ten miles or so, she saw a bit of light coming from a part of the woods and she ran silently towards it, coming to a stop when she saw the sight. There was an enormous guillotine in the middle of a large crowd of the natives that had attacked them the night before. When she spotted the captured crew members, she sighed quietly in relief and started walking to that area. She watched as Kiba walked out to whom looked like the leader and started talking to him in their language, resulting in what she could only comprehend was the plan. Kiba would distract the natives while Sasuke and some other men would set the captured crew free and run for the ship.

Sakura could barely see the outline of three figures sitting behind the trees the men were tied to, but she could see a chicken-shaped head and smirked. 'Of course Sasuke would be the one to free them,' Sakura thought as she came up behind them. Nagato and Naruto were furiously cutting at the ropes, but Sasuke was searching in his pockets for what she knew was the knife he had given her. Smiling at him, she started walking up to them, pulling the knife out of her pocket. She saw out of the corner of her eye Nagato and Naruto look up at her and gasp as she dropped the knife at Sasuke's bent knees, who froze at the sudden action.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Sakura?" she heard Sasuke hiss urgently, but she was already walking past him and towards Kiba and the chief.

"Sakura! No!" Nagato exclaimed silently, but she ignored him and kept walking. She saw Kiba look over at him and open his mouth to say something, but he froze when he saw it was she. 'Sorry guys,' she thought as she pulled out the pistol. 'But I'm going to have to change your plans a little.' Sakura cocked the pistol and put her finger on the trigger with an evil smirk. Somehow, she relished the look on the native's face as he cowered in fear at the weapon. She knew Sasuke was looking at her and inclined her head ever so slightly in his direction.

"Run," Sakura muttered because things were going to get a little nasty. Her finger squeezed the trigger and her hand jerked back on the recoil of the gun. It was silent for what seemed like an eternity; then all hell broke loose. There were cries of fury as the chief's head rolled back with a hole in his head, his eyes lifeless staring ahead. Everyone started running around and fights broke out between natives and pirates and blood was shed. Someone grabbed Sakura around her middle and started running away from the fight and she started to struggle because she had come here for a reason and that was to help Sasuke and the crew. Kiba's grip on her slipped when a native attacked them and she thumped to the ground. There was a wild cry in front of her and she looked up to see a native with a spear raised to impale her. She brought the hand that held the pistol and squeezed the trigger once more and there was another deafening bang as she shot the native in the chest. Blood squirted from the wound and this time she was the one that recoiled from the sight of the red liquid.

Suddenly, Sakura felt arms come under her arms and she was lifted up. She started struggling to get free, but stopped completely when she heard the voice.

"What the FUCK are you doing here, Sakura?" Sasuke yelled in her ear over the yells and war cries. He let her go as a native came up behind him and he stabbed him with the knife he had in his hand. The man went down and Sasuke turned to Sakura again as she straightened up from avoiding a blow to the head. "Didn't I tell you to stay at the camp?"

"Did you really expect me to stay there when you were all risking your lives? Nuh uh, I'm going to fight with you! Since I'm part of this crew until further notice, I need to learn how to survive!"

"You already did when you stood up to me the day we met!" Sasuke retorted. Sakura's eyes widened at the comment and all time seemed to stop for them. Everything became a blur around them as they stared at each; Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she finally saw his eyes. They were the same ones as the night before and they were spiraling rapidly, probably from the adrenaline rush he was feeling at the moment. All of a sudden, something thumped in front of them and they looked down to see a dead native, it's eyes rolled into the back of it's head. Sakura gasped and glared at the person who killed it: Naruto.

"Quit standing there and making googly eyes at each other! We have to go now!" They both turned to notice the crew was running in the direction of the beaches, which was barely visible through the trees. They took one last glance at each other before sprinting after the crew. Sakura's breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of the ship with everything still intact and it almost looked as if it was welcoming them since its sails were flowing in the breeze. The horizon was just breaking, the sun peeking over the edge of the water. Sakura laughed and urged her legs to go faster so that she passed Sasuke. He saw her as she passed him and he smirked, making his legs go faster as well so that he passed her as well. Sakura saw this and frowned angrily, baring her teeth slightly as she went faster until she felt like she was almost flying. It had practically become a race for them as they sprinted for the ship with the angry natives running after them.

"RUN YOU GUYS!" Naruto screamed as the last of the crew got on and started preparing to set sail quickly. With the last bit of strength they had, Sasuke and Sakura took a leap so high it looked like they were soaring across the sky. The crew watched almost in slow motion as they hurtled onto the deck, both doing somersaults and coming to a complete stop as they hit the topmast. The ship started going fast and they were soon more than mile away from the shore, the natives jumping around on the shore shouting at them angrily. The entire crew blew out the breath they had been holding and looked towards the two that had barely managed to get on the ship on time. The two were laughing hard to where their faces were beet red; the crew assumed it was because they had just raced each other and barely made it out of there alive.

Sakura was holding her stomach as she laughed loudly and Sasuke was just laughing, something that was a really rare thing to see. There was blood running from cuts they had gotten from the battle and when they had hit their heads on the wood. Finally, Naruto just burst out laughing at the sight of them, causing the crew to start laughing. They all laughed as they headed out to sea, grateful that the horrifying journey they had endured for the past three days was over and done with.

* * *

_'Finally,'_ Sakura thought as she stood on the deck before the lights went out. 'Finally we can just relax and wait until the next port to come in view.' There was a bandage around her head from when she hit the wood and had patches on some cuts that would heal in a matter of days. Sasuke came up next to her and sighed.

"I'm kind of glad all that is over," he said as they watched the waves roll off the ship. The moon shone overhead, basking them in light.

"Me too," Sakura murmured. "How long until the next port?"

"Not long. We're going to the Sand country next." Sakura pondered this and then turned to him with a question.

"How come we're going from port to port?"

"Well, it's easy if you think about it: We need more supplies from the encounter with the natives. I have a friend there that can set us up."

"Can you tell me who it is?"

"Nope. It's a secret," Sasuke smirked knowingly. Sakura pouted and murmured something that sounded like "Fuck you". Sasuke started and looked down at her and he saw a scowl on her face. He smirked and murmured.

"Bitch."

"Low-life."

"Annoying."

"Man-whore."

". . . .Shorty."

"Emo-Boy." Sasuke shook his head and turned to her. Then, he put a hand on her head. He chuckled when he saw that she had a small pout on her face.

"Good night, Sakura." The girl smiled lightly and turned to face him so that she was pressed against his chest because he had gotten closer to her. Sakura blushed as he leaned down to her level, his hair shading his face as their faces got within inches of each other. Sakura closed her eyes as their noses brushed, and then—

"GUYS! Lights out!" a voice called from a cabin. The two jumped apart and blushed, their faces a bright red. Naruto stared at them from bleary and sleep-filled eyes before growling irritably and retreating back into his cabin. They sighed and stared at each other and another blush filled Sakura's face.

"W-Well, uh, good night Sasuke," she said. She started walking to her cabin quickly and as soon as she was inside, Sasuke leaned against the railing keeping him from falling into the ocean. He wiped his face with his hand in exhaustion and confusion. What the HELL has she done to him?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Fuck! Why does it have to be so damn hot in Sand?" Naruto moaned as they walked through town.

"Naruto, mind you manners while we're in public," Shikamaru sighed. "Jeez, I know we're pirates but don't go shouting profanities in the air like the average phrase. So troublesome." Naruto stuck his tongue out at his friend and crossed his arms. Sakura sighed and looked around the city; the only other time she had been in Sand was because of her one of her father's business trips. But she couldn't remember it being so _hot_ before.

It had been a week after the whole native/island incident and they had finally arrived at the Sand country, home of the deserts and the thieves. Besides Konoha and Sound, it is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world where even the bravest pirates dare not to go to. As soon as their ship had crossed into warm waters they could immediately tell they had entered in Sand territory by the intense heat. Sakura was trying to avoid Sasuke as much as possible after their little moment on the deck the past week, which was actually going good. . . .for her anyway. Unfortunately for the captain, things were not going so good; normally when he would be always yelling at someone for doing something wrong, he was staring off into space. That was definitely NOT the Sasuke they all knew and, er, loved.

"Well, at least he has the manners to talk to someone without falling asleep halfway through the conversation," Neji muttered rudely. Shikamaru caught it even though it was quiet and stopped, causing them all to stop and stare at them.

"Hey, Neji," started Shikamaru as he turned to him, his hair shading his face. "How's your little girlfriend doing? Last time I heard she was in the hospital due to a 'pirate raid' or so you say. What was her name again? Ah, TenTen, correct?" With each word Shikamaru uttered Neji grew angrier. Before the crew could do anything, Neji tackled him right in the middle of the street and started beating his face in.

"Shut the fuck up! You know nothing about her and what she went through! I'll kill you, you fucking lazy ass!"

"Then why are you holding back, huh? Prove to me you didn't beat her like everyone is saying you did!" Suddenly, Neji was pulled off of Shikamaru and thrown aside.

"Will you guys cut the crap already?" Sakura screamed. God, your insistent bickering is driving me up the fuckin' wall! Learn to be real men and talk it out instead of disgracing yourselves in public!" Everyone blinked at her as she yelled at them.

"Dude, she's scary when she's angry," Naruto whispered behind his hand to Sakaku. The younger teen nodded his head as he sweat-dropped. Sakura turned to them with a growl and they flinched back in terror. Blood dripped onto the cobblestone road in the empty street from Shikamaru's wounds and he wiped at them, his eyes downcast. He looked up at Sasuke to see what his reaction was, but all the raven-haired teen did was shake his head in disappointment. Shikamaru sighed and stood up, his back turned from them and his head bowed.

"I guess that was a little harsh to say. Sorry, Neji," he murmured. The pale-eyed teen stared up at him in shock before realizing that a hand was being offered to help him up. Shikamaru smirked as he watched Neji grab his hand and haul himself up. Sakura smiled and stared up at Sasuke, a knowing look in her eyes. Sasuke jerked when she stared at him and looked the other way, pretending to be searching for something. She stared up at him in confusion as he started to walk ahead without them.

"Let's go. We have to get the supplies before our ship is found and we're caught."

"But there's no one out here," Sakura inquired while looking around. Sasuke shook his head and continued walking, causing Sakura to frown. Nagato came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder before she went off on him. "Nagato?"

"Give him some time. He's obviously thinking about something judging by the way he's acting. Don't worry; you'll know in good time." Sakura stared up at him for a second then at the retreating back of Sasuke. Sighing, she started walking with Nagato on her heels after everyone who had already started leaving.

* * *

"Why are we staying this crappy motel?" Naruto asks, kicking the already cracked bathroom door. They had stopped and found the motel near the harbor so, if necessary, they could make a break for the ship of they were caught. Sakura sighed and stared at the messed up bed and did NOT want to know what the stains that were on it were.

"It was the only thing we could afford, Dobe," Sasuke sighed as he sat in one of the chairs near the window. The three of them were sharing a room while the other crewmembers were sleeping in the next room. Sakura stole a glance at the bed, then at the floor, then to Sasuke. Pointing to the bed, she stated:

"I'm not sleeping on that." Sasuke stared at the bed and noticed the stains on it. He shrugged and turned to her.

"There's nothing wrong with-"

"ARE YOU MENTAL? There could be freakin' diseases on that thing!"

"So you're saying you would rather sleep on the hard wood floor than in a comfortable bed?"

"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Sasuke shrugged again and stood up to stretch.

"Fine with me. Naruto, go get the crew and tell them to go get some food for the night. You go with them." The blonde glanced from around the corner of the bathroom, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I said so." Naruto groaned and marched from the room and into the other. After a few minutes, groans and yells were heard from the room but footsteps started down the stairs and a door was slammed moments later. Now it was just Sasuke and Sakura. It was silent until Sakura shuffled over to him and stared up at him.

"Why won't you talk to me like you used to?" Sasuke avoided her eyes and turned to sit on the bed. Sakura followed him and sat next to him, putting a hand on his arm. "Sasuke, if I did something wrong, then please tell me so I can do something about it. I don't like being in the dark because I can't do anything to help." He was still quiet, but he turned his head to stare at her with soulless eyes.

"Sakura, about the other day. . . ." Sasuke started, but Sakura didn't need to know anymore than what he just said. But, she listened anyway because she was interested now. "That was something that I didn't want to happen anymore than you did. If HE ever found out or even heard that I loved someone, he would come after the person that I loved and kill them." Sakura heard him emphasize "He" and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"Sasuke, who's 'HE'?" Sasuke jerked when he realized he had just said that and shook his head quickly, his bangs swinging from side to side. Sakura grabbed his shoulders and shook him roughly. "Sasuke, who is 'he'?" Sasuke refused to look at her, which caused her to get frustrated and her grip on his shoulders tightened. Suddenly, she pushed him back onto the bed and jumped on him roughly and he grunted in pain. He looked up at Sakura and noticed that she had her eyes closed and there were tears on her eyelashes, but he could see she was suppressing them.

"Why must you keep everything to yourself?" she choked out. "Why am I always being kept in the dark?" Sobs tore from her throat unchecked and the tears finally slid from her eyes and down her cheeks. They came off her chin and hit his shirt in individual plops, making Sasuke's eyes widen as if he just now realized she was crying. Sakura lowered her head to where it was rested on his chest as she cried her eyes out, her hands curling into fists on his shirt. Sasuke exhaled softly and put a hand on the small of her back and rubbed it gently as she cried. He sat up slowly and folded his legs so that she was in his lap and her head was on the crook of his shoulder.

Sakura jumped slightly when she felt Sasuke shift so that she was in his lap but she didn't cease crying. Instead, she cried harder and put her arms around his neck to steady her. As she cried, Sasuke didn't say a word; he just let her cry it out like he always does. This time she wasn't hitting him but was allowing him to comfort her, which was a new thing for both of them. No matter how many fights they always start with each other, Sasuke had noticed them steadily becoming closer in the past month they had known each other. As he got older, he vowed never to get close to anyone ever since Itachi's arrest unless it was a crewmember, like Naruto or Nagato. But this girl was something he had never dealt with in his seventeen years as a pirate, even escaping from the guillotines clutches more than once.

Finally, Sakura's sobs simmered down to sniffs and she picked her head up to stare at him with shimmering eyes and a red face. Sasuke could feel his face get a little hot from her stare and he averted his gaze from hers. Sakura smiled softly and laid her head on his chest again and closed her eyes peacefully and sighed, making Sasuke snap his head to look down at her. Before he could move to let her get the sleep she desperately needed to get, Sakura latched onto his shirt to hold him steady.

"No. You're getting the sleep that you need as well," Sakura murmured into his shoulder. Sasuke huffed and looked to the other bed.

"You know there's another bed right there?" Sasuke sighed. Sakura shook her head and yawned slightly.

"But you're more comfortable," Sakura whined. Sasuke shook his head and relaxed seeing as how he was going to lose this argument. Sakura sniffed smugly and rested her head on his shoulder once again, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to indicate she was asleep. The heated room was over-bearing for Sasuke and he shifted to where he was facing Sakura. He heard her moan a little at the new position and pushed herself closer to him despite the heat. Shaking his head at her, he unconsciously placed his head on hers and let his eyes drift shut to the sound of the cicadas chirping outside.

* * *

"Shut up! You'll wake them, idiot!"

**BONK!**

"OW!"

Sakura squinted against the bright light that was coming from a candle next to the bed she was in, but stopped when she heard the voices and the footsteps walking around the room. Turning her head to the side a little, she saw the crew walking in with bags of food they probably stole from the market seeing as how they didn't have any money. Naruto was holding his head while Sakaku was shaking his fist at him, Sakaku apparently being the one that had hit him. Sakura looked up at Sasuke who was sound asleep, totally oblivious to the events happening around them. He looked like he did when they were in the native's camp and he had fallen asleep while she had been treating him.

Sasuke mumbled something in his sleep and pulled her closer to him unconsciously. Sakura blushed and was glad the crewmembers were out of the room. _'We are SO going to be busted when we get up,'_ she thought as she shifted. She smiled and fell back asleep but as soon as she did, Sasuke was awake and alert._ 'Someone followed them here,'_ he thought. He immediately bounced off the bed causing Sakura to jolt awake and jump off the bed quickly.

"What is wrong, Sasuke?" Sakura cried as she ran after him. Sasuke marched to the crews' bedroom and slammed the open with a bang. The crew looked up from what they were doing and gave him a strange look as Naruto spoke up.

"What's up, Teme?"

"Someone followed you here." Everyone in the room jumped up and scrambled around as they searched for their valuables. Sasuke watched them run around as the grabbed the food they had just gotten and pack it up; he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and followed it to the owner. Sakura was staring at him with worried and he shook his head to try and calm her worry. Then, he grabbed the nearest person to him by his shirt collar; it was Sakaku and he look scared for his life.

"Why did you let someone follow you back?" he yelled.

"I swear I didn't know! We just went to the market and grabbed a few things!"

"You call THAT," Sasuke waved his hand at the large pile of food, "a few things? Someone could have seen you guys!"

"Sasuke," Sakura exclaimed. "Calm down! It wasn't their fault! Well, I guess it was, but you can't expect them to go and get food and not get caught."

"That's the thing I want them to do: Not to get caught!"

"They are pirates! What do you expect would happen if they were seen?"

"Hopefully not this!"

"Guys!" The two stopped fighting and they turned to Nagato who was standing at the door. He made a shushing noise and gestured towards the door where footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. There were two sets and they were each heavy, suggesting men and Sasuke suspected they were they ones that had followed them there. Taking out his sword, he pushed Sakura behind and placed his hand on the doorknob, waiting for the right moment for him to strike at the unwanted company. Then, when the footsteps were right at the door and came to a halt, Sasuke yanked open the door and brandished his sword, but only to stop with the sword in the air.

* * *

"Jeez, Sasuke," the oldest man said as he sat on one of the couches. "Is that anyway to treat an old friend?"

"I don't think the pirate life changes anyone that fast, Kankuro," Sasuke jested as they sat down. Sakura looked on in awe as she was faced with the Kazekage of the Sand and his right hand man. Kankuro Subaku was a year older than them but was the commander of the Sand Country's military and the older brother of the Kazekage. Gaara was Sakaku's age with red hair and the word "Love" written in Kanji. He sat across from Naruto who fidgeted under the immense pressure in the room; he, out of all the crew including Nagato and Shikamaru, the most politically known genius in the world, was chosen to help Sasuke.

"What brings you to Sand, Uchiha?" Gaara asked. His voice was void of any emotion that sent shivers down Sakura's spine. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"What else do I need from you when I come here?"

"Sasuke, you know our supplies are low, especially with that tyrant that comes here every few months." Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't press further. "And with the war going on in the Pacific between Sand and Grass, our military rate has gone down very fast because I can't keep producing puppets like I use to. The enemy has caught on to our tricks and take the bodies of our allies and our own. It won't be too long before they get the courage to invade Sand."

"All we need is food and water and more weapons. Simple bread and something to drink and knives, or even a few small katana would be okay. We just need something to keep us going until we reach the next port."

"Wasn't all that food that your men stole from the market enough?" Gaara asked. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something to that question, but closed it when he realized it wouldn't be the smartest thing to say in front of the Kazekage. Sakura looked from him to the men sitting on the couch; finally, she stood up and smiled.

"Why don't I make some tea?" Kankuro grinned at her and nodded appreciatively. When she had left and gone into the room with the rest of the crew, which was alive with noise, Kankuro whistled and grinned at Sasuke.

"Where did you get a woman like her, Sasuke?" The captain looked away from him and turned his gaze to the door. There were a few shouts from the other room that sounded very much like Sakura and it sounded like she was yelling at someone who kept getting in her way. Sasuke smirked and shrugged.

"It is a long story that doesn't need to be repeated."

"Well, I understand you need a REAL place to stay," Gaara said with a smirk similar to Sasuke's. Sasuke looked at him with a surprised look and smirked, showing his teeth in more of a grin.

"That would be amazing if you could do that for us, Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed. The two men got up and walked to the door with the other two following behind them.

"Come to the palace in the morning," Kankuro said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "And do NOT forget to wear a disguise of some kind. I don't want to arrest my own friend because he didn't heed my advice."

"Wait!" The boys turned to see Sakura holding two to-go cups that were filled with tea. "Don't you guys want your tea?"

"Sure, Miss…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Sakura Haruno." Kankuro's eyes got wide and he quickly shut the door he had opened and stomped over to Sasuke. Grabbing his arm, he pulled him away from Sakura and Naruto and growled in his ear.

"Sasuke, have you gone completely mad?"

"Look, it was her choice to come with us," Sasuke scoffed. All of a sudden, Kankuro had him pinned to the wall by his collar, earning a surprised gasp from both Sakura and Naruto.

"Knowing you, you probably destroyed the ship she was on and kidnapped her. It was AGAINST her will, wasn't it?"

"Mr. Kankuro, please stop," Sakura pleaded. "It was my choice to stay with him until I could get back home." Kankuro looked at her from over his shoulder and then back to Sasuke.

"Fine." He let go of Sasuke and the captain fell to the ground coughing and rubbing his throat. The older boy sighed and walked up to her, staring down at her in interest.

"Miss Haruno, you know your father is looking for you everywhere, and he's even gone as far as asking other pirates to look for you. The bounty that was originally on this band of pirates has risen to an outrageous amount so can get you back safely. Are you sure you want to stay with them, because I can give your father a letter saying that you're going to stay if you do."

Sakura looked up at him, and then at Sasuke and Naruto. Then she smiled and shook her head.

"No." Kankuro kind of jerked at her answer, as if he was surprised she wanted to stay with them. "I will stay with the crew of the Sharingan. I know they are being hunted down and have a large bounty on their heads, but who is going to take care of them without me having to look after them?"

Kankuro started laughing and ruffled her short hair. "I like your determination, Sakura. You guys are welcome to stay in the palace until you get all your supplies."

"We are also having a ball in remembrance to the fallen soldiers tomorrow," Gaara added as they began to leave. "You are welcome to that, too. It is a masquerade ball, so you have your chance to have some fun while you are here. Good day to you." With that, the door closed, leaving them in silence once again.

"Well, I think that went well," Naruto grinned. Sasuke nodded his head and Naruto left the room to tell the others what had happened and to get some sleep. Sasuke sat on the bed he and Sakura had occupied less than thirty minutes ago and yawned.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Sasuke?" The girl asked. She sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder to show how tired SHE was. He smirked and shrugged lightly before falling back with Sakura still sitting up in front of him. Sakura smiled and trailed her arm back until her hand touched his leg, where she started rubbing it in circles and swirls. Sasuke sighed and he closed his eyes as she got up and laid down next to him, and she proceeded to rub his arm gently.

"You know what I need right about now?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Hm?"

"A massage." Sakura stopped rubbing his arm and sat up to look at him, a strange look on her face.

"Are you implying that I be the one to give you a massage?" Sasuke shrugged and yawned again. "You ARE aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Sakura blushed and mimicked his earlier shrug while looking away. Finally, she huffed and got up, walking to her bed. Sasuke sat up, a disappointed expression on his face. "Is that a no?"

"Bingo, give the man a prize," Sakura muttered as she laid on her side, facing away from him. Sasuke scowled and flopped down on his back again; there was a five minute pause before Sasuke asked:

"Are you sure?"

"Good night, Sasuke."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sakura walked through the capital of the Sand Country, her eyes wide at the large buildings on all sides of her. Sasuke was walking next to her as he, Sakura, Nagato, Naruto, Sakaku, and Shikamaru walked to the palace; the other four had been chosen by Sasuke because they couldn't possibly have the entire crew go with them without being found out. **(A/N: How were they able to walk around in public, you ask? It's disguises my good friend.)** Sakura tugged at the sleeves of her new dress in a nervous fashion which didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke. He looked at her as she fidgeted in the dress she had bought in order for the plan to work; it was an off-white color with a neckline that plunged, showing a good portion of her breasts, much to his dismay. Low plunging dresses meant staring, and a LOT of staring from other men, causing Sasuke to get slightly jealous, and by slightly it meant punch-the-guy-in-the-face jealous.

"Why are you so nervous, Sakura?" Sasuke whispered to her. Sakura jumped and stared up at him, her eyes wide.

"What if we're caught? What will happen then?" Sasuke pondered this and he looked up at the sky.

"Well," he started. "We can a) fight to the death and die in the process, hence 'to the death, or b) we can run without the supplies and die at sea."

"None of those options help," Sakura pouted. Sasuke chuckled and felt her loop her arm around his. This was also part of the plan; Sakura pretended to be his wife and the other four were cousins or brother in-laws. Of course, Sasuke had to wear his own type of disguise, which was a hat to hide his hair and a good suit he knew he was going to have to wear to the ball that was going on that night. The four behind them also wore the suits that they were going to wear that night as well but did nothing to their hair except either smooth it down or do something more elaborate to it.

"How much further to the palace?" Sakura asked.

"We should be coming up to it soon," Sasuke murmured. Then, Sakura saw his face light up a little and he said: "Voila, there it is." The younger girl looked to where he was looking and her jaw dropped. It was grand; there were pillars that held a large balcony where the ballroom or the Grand Hall was. The roof was like that of a fairytale book, with towers and huge, sloping slabs of marble that was the roof.

"Wow," they heard either Sakaku or Naruto murmur as they got closer. Sasuke smirked and started walking up the large stairs that led inside; there were guards on either side of the large door, which made Sakura shrink into Sasuke's side and grip his arm tighter. He tipped his hat to the guards who stepped aside to let them pass with curt nods. Sakura glanced up at him and saw him looking down at her with an amused look.

"Do you not want to be noticed that bad?" he chuckled softly. Sakura huffed and ripped her arm from his.

"No." Her voice was set high and she marched ahead of them, a scowl on her face. There were chuckles behind Sasuke and he twirled to look at his comrades in anger and embarrassment.

"Geez, Teme," Naruto laughed. "You sure know how to treat the ladies." His voice cracked as he burst out laughing and Sakaku was laughing beside him, using the blonde as support as he laughed hard. Nagato was chuckling and Shikamaru was smirking in amusement. Sasuke crossed his arms and raised his nose in the air.

"Shut up, you idiots. It is not like it has never happened to you."

"Actually, it hasn't," Shikamaru said. "Do you really think we have the time for a love life with our reputations?"

"I suppose not."

"Are you guys coming?" Sakura screamed from twenty paces ahead of them. Naruto smiled and ran after her like a lost puppy with the other three behind him. However, Shikamaru stayed with Sasuke as he lagged behind.

"What's with you and Sakura?" he asked lazily. "I've never seen you so…attached to someone before." Sasuke's face turned pink and he looked away.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," stuttered Sasuke. Shikamaru's thoughts were confirmed: something was going on between them and it was definitely changing them both.

"All right, if you say so." Then, they walked faster as soon as they saw Sakura go after Naruto for getting too close to her.

* * *

"Welcome, guests," a blonde haired woman greeted them as the neared the entrance to the Great Hall. Her hair was put up in four pigtails and she looked like she was two years older than them, maybe older. "How may I help you this fine afternoon."

"Temari, just shut up and let us in," Sasuke said. The girl opened her mouth to retort to his rude comment, but when she got a better look at him, she gasped and opened the doors for them. As they entered, Sakura saw the girl Temari give Sasuke an awful glare that could peel the paint off the walls.

"Temari, stop giving him that look and come join us!" a voice boomed from the other side of hall and Sakura turned, only to come face to face with Kankuro. He grinned at her as she squeaked in surprise and stumbled back. "I see you are a very good actress, Miss Haruno." When he saw the look on her face as she looked around for any witnesses, he laughed. "Don't worry; I made the guards leave and made Temari stand outside to wait for you guys. Of course, I didn't tell her that it was you guys."

Temari came up next to him and smacked him across the head. "You idiot! Do you know what you are doing? You're letting a pirate inside the palace, and not to mention the most dangerous pirate in the seven sea no less!"

"Dear sister, please stop yelling and at least listen to me," Kankuro pleaded.

"And why should I listen to my BABY brother?"

"Because he means well by inviting Sasuke," Gaara sighed as he stood up. Temari sighed as well and shook her head.

"I can't believe you were in on it, too, Gaara."

"I had to be. We need their help."

"Whoa, hold on a second," Naruto interrupted. "So you mean to tell me that the only reason you invited us to this ball was because you needed our HELP?" Gaara sighed and sat back on his "high chair" as people would call it.

"Yes. The tyrant that comes around every few months is coming here again, not for supplies for the war, but for a wife." The room stiffened with suspense and disbelief. "The reason we want your help is very simple," continued the young Kazekage. Suddenly, he pulled out the sword that was strapped to his belt and slammed it on the table, the blade skewering the fine oak table. A red tint appeared in Gaara's eyes as he said:

"We want you to kill Daitaro Hiraku, tyrant of the Grass."

* * *

"Sasuke, have you gone completely insane?" Sakura cried as they unpacked their items, the afternoon sun burning through the open windows. Sasuke was lounging in one of the window seats trying to ignore her, even though he was finding it very difficult to do so when she was standing right in front of him. The other four went to explore the palace and even help out with the decorations for the party/ball that night.

"Look, it was my choice to help them," Sasuke sighed. "If we don't help them, we don't get the supplies we need. Plus," Smirk. "We need a little vacation where we don't have to run away."

"Disguises IS a way of running away from something."

"Not if we don't get caught." Sakura sighed and shook her head and walked over to him, stopping about a foot away from him.

"You're an idiot, Sasuke. Do you know that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat up from his slouching position; turning, he found Sakura was closer than he thought she was. She was now in between his legs and her face lit up in a major blush; and then her hands were on his legs because she felt like she was going to faint from the intense heat her blush was giving her. Sasuke couldn't help but drop his jaw as he began to say something, but instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sakura's.

Sakura's eyes widened to where her irises were mere dots in her whites as Sasuke continued to kiss her. _'W-What the HELL is he trying to do?'_ she screamed in her mind when she felt him try to deepen the kiss by licking his tongue across her bottom lip. Finally, Sakura had had enough and she pulled away from Sasuke, and her hand shot to her mouth in disbelief. Sasuke looked up at her from his sitting position in confusion and kind of realized that was probably not the smartest move to make.

"S-Sakura, I-I-" Sasuke stuttered, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he stood up and tried to walk over to her, but Sakura shook her head and backed away. She turned on her heels and ran out the door, her hand still over her mouth. Sakura left Sasuke standing in the middle of the room with his arm stretched out to where she was originally standing.

Sakura ran through the hallways with her hand covering her mouth, passing by Naruto, Sakaku, Nagato, and Shikamaru.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto shouted in concern. She turned a corner and they saw her hand over her mouth just in time; Nagato frowned and followed her around the corner. Shikamaru sighed and continued walking ahead of them.

"Shikamaru?" Sakaku questioned. "Aren't you going to follow them?"

"It's too troublesome," he said with a wave of his hand. Naruto groaned and patted Sakaku's shoulder.

"It's no use, Sakaku. Let's go ask Sasuke what happened. Knowing him, he was probably the cause of it." They walked away to leave Sakura in the hands of Nagato.

Sakura ran blindly through the halls, occasionally bumping into people on the way. _'Why did he do that?'_ she thought angrily._ 'Why?'_ She bursts through the doors to the gardens and collapsed on a bench near the palace walls. The tears ran faster and she sobbed in her hands as she let the pent up feelings come out.

"That stupid ass of a pirate!" she exclaimed as she brought her fist down against the stone of the bench.

"I hope you are not talking about me," a voice said from next to her. Sakura looked up quickly and saw Nagato standing above her, staring at her with those blue eyes of his. He reached up to touch her face and he wiped the tears away. Sitting down next to her, he let her catch her breath before asking:

"So, what happened?"

"I-I don't want to say," Sakura murmured, fiddling with her thumbs. Nagato sighed and looked forward again, a serious look on his face.

"Sakura, if I tell you my past…" Sakura snapped her head up at him. "Will you tell me what happened?" The girl looked down and away for a second before turning to him with an uncertain smile on her face.

"Okay, I promise I will," she said. Nagato smiled thoughtfully and leaned back against the wall behind them.

"Well, my story begins in 1767, the year I was born. My father was born to a wealthy family and had many secrets and enemies, however, he never really let it bother him. My mother, on the other hand, was what you would call special. She was descended from a long line of a generation of faeries, strange as it may seem. That's the reason why my eyes are the color they are."

"Faeries?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Nagato nodded.

"Unfortunately, one fateful day ended the family in one sweep."

-Flashback-

_"Momma!" Nagato cried, the four year olds attention solely on his bleeding mother. He was being held back by a big man, who laughed maliciously at the boy's feeble attempts to escape. His father was also forced to watch as his wife was beaten mercilessly by the pirates that had invaded his home and his son being forced to watch it. Nagato's eyes widened when his mother's cries stopped and her body slumped to the ground, blood escaping from her mouth and her lifeless eyes staring at her frozen son._

_**"Yumi!"** his father yelled in horror. The pirates let the man go and he staggered over to his unmoving wife, tears running down his face from the despair of cradling his wife in his arms. Nagato could feel his heart racing as he watched for his mother to come back and hold him like she always did when he was scared. When she didn't move except for the rocking motions from his father, his breathing grew harsh and his hands curled into fists, his vision fading to red._

_Suddenly, the man holding cried out in pain and dropped the small boy he was holding, his hands burning with second degree burns. Bits of the boy's clothing burned as his flesh emitted a hot two hundred degree temperature and his hair stood on end as his breathing turned to growls. Nagato's father looked up at him and shouted:_

_"Nagato, calm down!" But Nagato didn't calm down; he couldn't hear anything due to the ringing he was hearing in his ears and he certainly couldn't hear the pirates yelling in terror as their flesh was slowly burning._

_**"You shall all burn in hell for the way you killed Mother,"** came Nagato's small voice in a deep growl, something his father had never heard or seen his son act. Then, the whole room was ablaze in flames, the angry inferno licking at the pirates as they screamed in pain and fear of the male faerie._

-End of Flashback-

Sakura tried to hold back the tears as she placed her hand to her mouth in horror. i'Nagato…did that at only four years old?'/i she thought. Nagato stared at her with depressed eyes, the once dark bluish, dark green eyes that shone were now dim. He placed his face in his hands and rubbed at his eyes as the memory was relived once again.

"The memory is so fresh even though it happened years ago, but when I came to, it was the next day and my father was treating the burns I had inflicted upon myself after the raid. When I asked for my mother, he only shook his head and I broke down in front of my father, the man I looked up to. He later remarried and that's how Sakaku became my step-brother. We never told our new family about me being a faerie, but I had to tell Sakaku. My new brother and I became close, too close, and I spilled my secret to him. Instead of ridiculing me, he praised my 'gift' and treated me as his brother."

"The year I turned twelve and Sakaku was eleven, we experienced another pirate raid, but the whole town was targeted instead of just us. Our parents died in the event, leaving us alone in the large world and at such a young age. I took care of Sakaku until a year later where we began traveling. One day, we came across the most magnificent ship you could ever lay eyes on; it belonged to the Navy and we stowed ourselves on it. Unfortunately, we attacked by yet another pirate group, but this one was very…odd."

"When the survivors-including Sakaku and I-were rounded up, we were brought to the captain of the ship. And you would not ibelieve/i who it was; it was Sasuke Uchiha, the most feared and youngest pirate on the seven seas. He was fourteen at the time, same as me, and he still had that same glare on his face he uses now." Nagato chuckled and leaned back again with his hand behind his head to prop it up, the memory appearing.

-Flashback-

_"Who are you, scallywags?" a young Naruto asked with a sneer, pressing a sword to Sakaku throat. The younger boy whimpered and tried to lean away from the blade, only to make it break the skin and drops of blood escaped the wound._

_"Don't touch him!" Nagato cried and tried to leap at the pirate. Shikamaru snapped him back with a jerk and he fell to his knees with a hard thud and a grunt of pain. The young crew laughed at the brothers' misfortune, but they fell silent as the pirate captain strode up to them._

_"And pray tell why we shouldn't harm you bor/b your brother?" Naruto snarled as Sasuke came up behind him. Nagato's eyes widened in fear when he saw the Sharingan captain appear next to his "first mate" and he and his brother shook in fear._

_"They have a perfectly good reason, Dobe," the monotone voice of the captain stated. Confusion flickered in the faces of the crew and they looked down at their fugitives. Sasuke smirked and pointed at the older boy. "We have ourselves a faerie in our mists men." Gasps could be heard from the teenagers and Naruto his sword from Sakaku's throat and the younger boy gasped for breath._

_"It's impossible!" Neji exclaimed. "Faeries are suppose to be made up, stories to scare little kids into going to bed. Pirates everywhere know of the legends surrounding faeries. How do you know this boy is a faerie, Sasuke?"_

_"He has the mark, there, on his arm." Suddenly, Nagato's sleeve was ripped off his right arm and he hissed in anger. There sat the mark of the Faerie Clan, the same one his mother had had before she died. There were hisses and gasps from the group and some even stepped back in fear._

_"Send the beast to the sea where it belongs!" a man shouted and there were shouts of agreement._

_"No," Sasuke said calmly. Walking up to the kneeling boys, he bent down to their levels and asked: "How would you like to join my crew, the Sharingan?"_

-End of Flashback-

"And you joined? Just like that?" Sakura asked astonished. Nagato shrugged.

"I couldn't say no. If I did, he would have killed us, simple as that. We were kind of in a situation you were in when you first came here." It was silent and the only sound was the cicadas chirping.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Sasuke?" Nagato asked. Sakura smirked and stood up with her hands behind her back.

"I don't think so," Sakura said. Nagato gaped and stood up as well.

"Why not? You promised, Sakura!"

"Aw, are you gonna cry now?" Sakura asked, a mock pout on her face. Nagato blushed and shook his head, walking after her when she started walking away from him.

"Please?"

"Nope!"

"God, you're hopeless!"

"I know!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Welcome, my guests from around the world," Gaara said. "I would like to announce the beginning of this year's Grand Festival." The crowd below him applauded and cheered for the opening of the best festival in history. It was later on in the evening after the Sharingan crew had arrived and they were some of the people in the crowd, but the best part was that no one knew who they were. It was a masquerade ball, meaning they could have fun even though they were the most wanted pirates in the world.

"Now, please enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night." Gaara walked around the curtain and it parted to reveal two large thrones and two slightly smaller ones. A man stepped from a door near the side and sat in one of the bigger chairs, and the small group of pirates immediately knew who he was; Daitaro Hiraku, Lord of the Grass and world known tyrant. Gaara sat next to him while Temari and Kankuro sat in the smaller thrones beside him.

"Is that our target, Teme?" Naruto asked from behind his mask. It only cut off at the bridge of his nose, but it had fox ears and slanted eye holes.

"Yes. The great tyrant of the Grass, Daitaro Hiraku," Nagato replied before Sasuke, brushing a trapped bang from the side of his mask. His was like Naruto's, but it was a hawk instead of a fox and the designs on it were like the feathers of a hawk.

"Really?" Sakura questioned. "I've never heard of him before, so I don't know what he looks like or is like either." Her mask was very elaborate; it had swirls that were painted gold with cherry blossom patterns on it that were glittery whenever they were in the light. It somewhat matched Sasuke's, seeing as how they were suppose to be married. Sasuke's was black and blue with silver swirls, keeping his eyes hidden from the crowd. The crew had a feeling that there were some survivors from their raids and they could identify him by looking at his eyes. Sakaku's was green with leaf patterns that brought out his light blue eyes, making it look like his mask was the earth and his eyes were the sky.

"Don't let it deceive you, Sakura, but he is a very dangerous man," Sasuke said. Sakura stared up at him hesitantly, the memory of the previous event flashing through her mind when his eyes met hers. She looked away and to another part of the ballroom. Sasuke sighed and held out his arm for her to take; if she wasn't going to look at him, she might as well _look_ like his wife. The girl saw him stick out his arm and she took it carefully, as if she was afraid he would try to kiss her again. Clenching her arm, he led her and the small group of pirates to their own, reserved table. He had made the rest of the crew stay back or had some of them serve as the servants and carry platters of food in order to get information that might be needed for later.

Some music started up and couples went up to dance to the new age music, their beautiful gowns captivating. Sakura looked down at her own dress and fingered at the gold stitching. It had a small train in the back and had golden stitching, but the rest was white, letting it match her mask perfectly. Sasuke saw her play with the gown and reached for her hand to stop her.

"Are you always this nervous at parties?" he asked, a smirk on his lips. Sakura shook her head and took her hand from his, causing him to frown. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear: "Why are you acting like this? Is it about earlier?" Sakura looked at him in surprise before standing up and grabbing Nagato's hand.

"I want to dance," she said to him. Nagato looked at his captain and shrugged before following Sakura out to the dance floor. They were lost in the crowd and Sasuke growled at Naruto when he started laughing.

"Man, Sasuke. I never knew rejection could be so funny!"

"Shut up, Dobe, before I decide to embarrassment you in front of all these people."

"Wow, Sakura sure can dance," Sakaku interrupted them, staring out at the floor. The two boys looked out and saw Sakura dancing with Nagato with a much grace as a swan on a lake, her dress twirling with her. She was laughing while Nagato spun her, a smile on his lips. Something in Sasuke broke and he gripped his chest above his heart where it was thumping painfully. 'What_ is this feeling?'_ he thought. _'Why does my heart hurt when I see those two together? Earlier was just an accident, a simple test to see if I really felt something for her. There was no spark like I thought there would be, but why is my heart thumping so painfully?'_

Naruto looked at his friend and saw him with his hand clutching his heart tightly. The blonde smiled slightly and leaned back in his seat. _'Sasuke, you are feeling what is known as jealousy. Don't forget that feeling, because it WILL come back.'_

Daitaro was getting bored out of his mind. Here he was, the most powerful man in Grass, doing absolutely nothing in the most prosperous country in the world. He had informed the young and foolish Kazekage of his goal for this time's trip and the young Gaara had, hesitantly, agreed to it, hoping the tyrant wouldn't come back after doing so. That was the whole reason for the Grand Festival to be held in Sand this year; for him to find a wife.

He, Daitaro Hiraku, was not an old man, but very young, possible as old as twenty years old. Being an all time bachelor was not a good thing in his line of work, but he somehow managed to get by without endangering himself. However, his advisors had finally forced him into getting a wife of his own and the deadline was tomorrow. It was either get a wife or lose his title as a tyrant and his business. He chose the first of the two and came to Sand for the options.

Scanning the crowd of dancers, his eyes suddenly stopped on a couple that was dancing in the middle. The man was tall and had a hawk mask on that matched his well accustomed suit, but the girl he was twirling was the item that had captured his eye. Her pink hair was pulled into a half ponytail with silvery strings that adorned it and her dress looked like it was made of the finest silk. It suited her, even though he had no idea what she looked like under that accursed mask.

"Kazekage-sama, who is that exquisite woman dancing with the man in the hawk mask down there?" Daitaro asked pointing to them. Gaara followed his finger and his eyes widened when he saw Sakura dancing with Nagato, a smile on her lips. Kankuro noticed the two and looked down at Sakura and Nagato, his expression turning to slight horror.

"S-Sir, y-you don't mean Mrs. Kanazuki, correct?" Kankuro stuttered. The man nodded as he stared at the young girl and her partner. "I am deeply sorry, Hiraku-sama, but she is already married to someone."

"So? I hope you are still aware of the agreement, Kazekage-sama?" Gaara gulped and turned to look at his siblings, but they could only look on in horror._ 'Sasuke is **not** going to like this,'_ he thought. Then, Daitaro began walking down the steps towards the couple. The song ended and the couples bowed to one another before going to their tables again, although some stayed for the next song. Sakura and Nagato walked off the floor, both laughing and happy, unaware that they were being followed.

They arrived at their table where Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakaku were waiting for them.

"So, how was it?" Sakaku asked the breathless girl.

"It was amazing! I didn't know Nagato could dance so well," Sakura exclaimed while fanning herself. She turned to Sasuke, the past events that had happened between them long forgotten. "We should dance soon, Sasuke, before people start to get suspicious." The raven haired teen looked at her and nodded, turning towards her in his chair. Then, his gaze traveled up and his eyes widened when he saw their target coming towards them in long strides. Taking Sakura's hand, he held it loosely and proceeded to start a false conversation with the group.

"Hiraku is coming towards us. Don't act suspicious or guilty in any way," he whispered, waving his hand in the air to make it seem like he was saying something worth saying. Sakura got the picture and giggled while nodding her head, signaling that she understood. The others just nodded and began to eat their food absentmindedly.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Kanazuki," a deep voice said behind them. Sakura turned around, then looked up to indeed see Daitaro there. She smiled while Sasuke scowled at him.

"May we help you, Hiraku-sama?" she asked kindly. The man grinned cheekly at the way she had said his name. He puffed out his chest a little and squared his shoulders to try and show his true stature.

"I was wondering if you would like to dance with me, Mrs. Kanazuki," he stated in his deep voice. Sakura's eyes widened and she turned to Sasuke, her expression a questioning and pleading one. Her "husband" shook his head ever so slightly and he moved closer to her, putting his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to dance with my wife," Sasuke said simply. He saw something flash in the tyrants eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came.

"But I insist, good sir. Your wife is the most beautiful woman here." Sakura snorted at the mention of Sasuke being a "good sir" and their attention turned to her for a second before they returned to each other.

"I am sure there are many other women here that would like to dance with you, sir, just not my brother's wife," Nagato said. Daitaro turned on him and the air grew tight with tension.

"I see, so you weren't her husband like I thought you were, just her brother-in-law. Unfortunately, my conversation is not with _you_, sir." Nagato glared at him as he turned back to Sakura and Sasuke. Before Sasuke could say anything else, Sakura stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't see why I can't dance with such a fine man as Hiraku-sama, dear. Just let us have one dance, and I promise I'll be back." Sasuke stared at her in confusion and slight fear._ 'You idiot! Don't you know the situation?'_ As if she could hear his thoughts, Sakura nodded once and turned her back on them, her arm looped in Daitaro's. Once they were gone, Naruto slammed his fist on the table.

"Dammit, Sasuke! Why didn't you try and stop her harder?"

"Sasuke, we know there's a reason why Daitaro came to her! He hopes to make her his wife my tomorrow!" Sakaku cried.

"Shut the hell up!" Sasuke hissed. "Do you think I would have if I could? We're are suppose to kill him by the end of the evening. Sakura probably has a plan, and this was part of it!"

"Then she's a total dumb ass for trying to pull it off," Nagato growled. "If she can't do it, then we have choice but to act swiftly and quickly if we ever want to escape here alive."

"Alright. Sakaku, go tell Shikamaru or Neji about this and tell them to prepare incase."

"Yes, sir." With that, Sakaku was gone from their sight. Sasuke laced his fingers together and placed them over his mouth. _'Dammit, Sakura. I hope you know what you are doing._'

* * *

"So, I can see your husband is very protective over you," Daitaro told Sakura as they danced. Sakura nodded and smiled at him from under her eyelashes.

"Indeed he his, Hiraku-sama."

"Please, call me Daitaro. That name makes me feel old." Sakura giggled at him and he grinned sexily, actually making Sakura blush and look away.

_'Don't let it deceive you, Sakura, but he is a very dangerous man.' _Sasuke's words came back to her and she looked over her shoulder to her table. She saw Sasuke staring at them from over his laced fingers with a scowl on his face. Sakura looked down at the space between her and Daitaro in guilt for being so harsh to Sasuke earlier, but she had been so mad and scared at him for kissing her earlier that she needed to get away. Now, she was dancing with someone as cold-hearted as him and she had a good feeling he didn't just ask her to dance.

"Mrs. Kanazuki, upon seeing you on this very dance floor, I have become…infatuated with you," the tyrant told her. Sakura snapped her attention back to him, her eyes completely wide with shock. Her jaw dropped and she tried to take a step back, but Daitaro had clamped his hands on her arms in a vice grip. There was a malicious look in his eyes and he leaned forward.

"I am going to make you my wife by tonight, Mrs. Kanazuki. You should be happy," he hissed in her ear, making her shiver. She shut her eyes tightly as he leaned away, then back again to try and kiss her forcefully. _'Help me, someone, anyone! SASUKE!'_

Sasuke heard Sakura scream in his mind for him and he picked his head up from his hands and looked to her. There she stood with Daitaro, who was leaning over her trying to kiss her, but she wasn't enjoying it very much by the looks of it. He saw tears streaming from her eyes down her cheeks and into the bodice of her gown, and something in him truly snapped.

All it took was a second, or so it seemed to Sasuke, as he seemed to fly out of his seat and dash for Sakura and the tyrant. He didn't hear Naruto and Nagato yell at him or feel his mask fall from his face, it clattering to the ground. Then, he was at the pair and Sakura was staring at him in shock as he took his katana and ran it though Daitaro.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

One second was all it took to end their stay in Sand.

One second was all it took to endanger the lives of his crew.

One second was all it took to make a girl scream and bring himself to his senses.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed in desperation to bring the captain back down to Earth. Sasuke's eyes were spinning with the Sharingan as he stared down at the tyrant, who was convulsing on the ground at his feet. His katana was drenched in the blood of the man who tried to take Sakura away from them. Only then did he realize his mask was no longer on his face. It was deathly quiet in the ballroom, waiting for it to seem like an act put on by the Kazekage in celebration of the festival. When Daitaro stopped moving all together, it was then chaos broke out.

"Sasuke!" The captain turned to the sound of his name and saw Nagato motioning for him to go to him. "Grab Sakura and go! We'll meet you at the ship!" Sasuke nodded and grabbed the shock-stricken Sakura by the arm.

"Sakura, we need to go!" he yelled in her ear. The girl jumped and looked up at him with wide eyes. There was blood splattered all over the front of her dress and neck from where Daitaro had coughed up blood on her. Suddenly, she looked over his shoulder sharply and screamed, causing Sasuke to spin around to see a guard with a raised sword. Sasuke pushed her out of the way and pulled his katana in front of him, meeting the guard's sword with a clang.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried.

"Go, you idiot!" Sasuke yelled at her.

"Not without you!" Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder at her. Sakura was standing her ground and staring at him defiantly. He groaned and was able to push the guard away with a single thrust outward. Sasuke grabbed her hand and started running from the crazy ballroom. "Sasuke! How are we going to get out of here? The doors are guarded as well as all the escape routes!"

"Who said anything about the doors?" Sasuke scoffed and the next thing Sakura knew, she was swept up in Sasuke's arms and they were on one of the windowsills.

"N-No, Sasuke! Don't even think about it!" Sakura screamed.

"Do you _want _to live?" Sasuke yelled back. Then, Sasuke jumped out of the window while Sakura gave a scream in surprise. The ballroom wasn't very high up, so Sasuke landed without difficulty and set Sakura down again. They started running for the harbor where the crew had pulled the ship out from the rocks and were preparing to set sail. Shouts from behind them signaled that the guards had caught up with them and were set out to kill the most feared pirate in the world.

"Jump in the water and swim for the ship!" Sasuke shouted. Sakura gave him a strange look before nodding and put a new burst of speed, even though she was in a dress. Sasuke smirked and began to slow down, making Sakura disappear in the dark. Seconds later, there was a splash as she jumped in the water, kicking off the shoes she was wearing to help her swim better. Turning in the water to look behind her, she noticed Sasuke wasn't there and saw him fighting the guards.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed, water choking her so she couldn't yell anymore.

"I said go, you idiot!" came Sasuke's desperate yell. Sakura coughed as she swallowed the salt water, but she started swimming for the ship, grabbing the steps that led up it.

"Come on, Sakura!" Sakaku cried to her, sticking a hand out. Sakaku hauled her on the deck and she collapsed to her hands and knees, coughing out the water she had managed to swallow.

"That's it, Sakura. Get it out," Nagato murmured softly in my ear, patting my back sharply. Finally, Sakura pushed his hand away and glanced around for Sasuke, her eyebrows furrowed in fear.

"Where's Sasuke?" she asked hoarsely. The crew looked around for their captain, but he was nowhere in the crowd. "Sasuke?"

"He…He didn't get on, Sakura-chan," Naruto said sadly. Sakura shook her head, setting water flying from her head.

"No! He _**has**_ to be here! I-I saw him!" Sakura cried. Tears started running down her already wet face and she choked back a sob. She hid her face in her hands and cried for Sasuke and the crew looked crestfallen for him and the way he had just left their lives like he did.

"H-Hey, I-I didn't expect my crew to be crying when I got b-back," a voice said from the side of the ship. The crew looked over in shock and Sakura picked her head up, her eyes widening at the familiar voice. There stood a drenched Sasuke, his hair matted to his face and blood running from cuts and gashes all over his body. His eyes were clouded over slightly as he stumbled forward, his katana dropping to the deck with a clang. Sakura jumped up and caught him as he fell, her falling back against his weight as he laid on top of her, his head falling on her shoulder. Sakura had a shocked look on her face, but then started laughing, the tears still falling down her face.

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura whimpered as she held him close, stroking his soaked hair gently. "What am I going to do with you?"

Sasuke chuckled weakly. "Give me that massage I wanted?"

Sakura laughed softly and continued stroking his hair gently. She nodded her head shakily and put her face in his hair. "Sure, why not?" Sasuke smiled and fell asleep, exhaustion finally claiming him.

* * *

Sakura sat next to Sasuke's bed the next two days, waiting for him to wake up from his sleep. He had fallen asleep right there on the deck in her arms and Sai and Naruto carried him to his cabin while Nagato started giving the crew orders to set sail for the next country. He had reassured Sakura that Sasuke would be fine in a couple days time, seeing as he wouldn't let something as bad as his wounds get the better of him. Ever since then, Sakura has been in his cabin, waiting for him to wake up.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he opened the door. "Do you want anything to eat? We managed to swipe some of the food we got before we left." Sakura nodded and took the food he offered her gratefully. "Any movement yet?"

"No, except for a few twitches here and there, but I'm not expecting him to move, with him being so tired from the other day's events."

"True. The men are getting restless, in a good way mind you. They're so use to Sasuke yelling at them and ordering them around it's become normal for us, I guess."

Sakura laughed and laced her fingers under her chin. "You know he's going to be in a bad mood when he wakes up, right?" Naruto sighed.

"I know, but that's why Nagato's got the crew working hard and fast right now. They all understand the future situation at hand, so they are working diligently."

"Then how come you're not out there with them?"

"Nagato wanted me to come in and check on you two, to make sure everything was alright."

"Oh, okay."

"Well, since you guys are okay, I'm going to go back out and report. See you soon." Naruto left quietly, shutting the door with a quiet snap. Sakura sighed and looked down at the sleeping Sasuke, smiling at his peaceful state. Stretching her arms, she leaned forward and smoothed his bangs back from his face gently. He suddenly sighed and she jerked back hastily in case he woke up and snapped at her. Instead, he shifted to where one arm was hanging off the bed and his other was on one side of his head casually.

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura said softly. "What am I going to do with you?" She repeated the words she had asked him the other day and put the hand that had fallen off the bed back at his side. She traced the lines on his hands and poked at his fingertips, giggling softly.

"Sakura, what are you doing to my hand?" Sakura jerked her own hand back and stared down at Sasuke, whose eyes were cracked open to stare at her. Her mouth opened and closed as she watched Sasuke sit up slowly and stiffly, waking his joints up since he hadn't been up and about in two days.

"W-Wait, Sasuke! You shouldn't be moving around yet!" Sakura exclaimed. Sasuke scoffed openly and rolled his eyes.

"Sakura, I am perfectly fine." Right when he said that and as he was trying to stand up, he pivoted forward and almost fell to the ground if it hadn't been for Sakura, who caught him.

"See?" Sakura whispered. Sasuke nodded and plopped on his bed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two days. It would have been three in a couple hours." Sasuke's thoughts went to his crew and where they were, but Sakura caught him in his tracks. "Nagato has been watching over them since you were asleep, don't worry." He sighed and looked out one of the windows to see a pink and orange sunset. His gaze went from it to Sakura and saw she was staring at it as well.

"Have you been watching over ime/i this whole time as well?" Sakura nodded and gestured to her chair.

"I haven't moved from this spot, only to go to the bathroom and bathe." Sasuke smirked and leaned his elbow and then his cheek on his hand.

"Wow, you must be really desperate for me if you actually waited for me," he teased. Sakura blushed and turned away from him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Fine! That's the last time I'm **ever** going worry about you," Sakura pouted. Sasuke's smirk faded and he reached over to grab her hand. Sakura looked down at his hand as he grabbed hers.

"Sakura, thank you for doing what you did," Sasuke said softly, looking her in the eyes to show he wasn't lying. The girl gulped and nodded, her blush intensifying. Sasuke smiled and started to lean forward, his face coming close to hers. Sakura began to panic, remembering how he had kissed her back in Sand and the way she had reacted to it, but she found herself moving in as well. She closed her eyes while Sasuke kept his open slightly, to make sure she was actually going with it instead of freaking out like she had the last time he had tried to kiss her. When he was sure she wasn't backing out, he closed his eyes as well and followed the same path.

Their lips brushed over each others softly before Sakura pulled apart slowly to look at him through hooded eyes. She saw his eyes were half closed as he in turn stared at her to watch her reaction, to see if that was all they were going to do. Sakura smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again, giving in to her desires. Sasuke kissed her back with a sharp inhale of breath and ran his hands through her hair to the nape of her neck where he pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

"Sakura?" There was a loud knocking on the door and the two broke apart quickly to look at the door in surprise.

"Y-Yes?" she replied to Shikamaru.

"Is Sasuke awake yet? There's something he had ought to see." Sasuke cleared his throat and said:

"I'm awake. I'll be out in a minute." Sasuke began to get out of the bed clumsily, his hands shaking as he pushed the blanket aside. Sakura looked away and down at the ground as Sasuke began to get his katanas and other equipment to look a little presentable when he got out there. When he was done, he walked over to Sakura until he was standing above her. She looked up at him slightly, her eyes sad; he smirked down at her and bent down, his lips brushing hers before sliding to her ear.

"You still owe me a massage." He straightened up and walked out of his cabin, his chin held high. Sakura looked over her shoulder at his retreating figure and smiled softly at his back. Touching her lips lightly, she blushed at the memory of how _gentle_ he had been when they had kissed. She smiled brightly and sprang from the chair, following Sasuke, a small skip in her step.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty," Shikamaru teased. Sasuke glared at him before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"So, what was it you wanted me to see?" he asked impatiently. Sakura walked up the steps to the bow where everyone was looking, straining to see over their shoulders. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her forward; she looked up at Sasuke and smiled at him and he smirked back, his hand still grasping hers. She looked out and her smile was replaced with horror at the sight of another pirate's ship burning in the water. The foremast was no longer there, but was instead smashed into the belly of the ship, the sails covering most of the damage. There were holes and gashes along the sides of it and big portions blown from underneath, causing the ship to sink slowly.

"I want row boats out there to look for any survivors and to survey the damages inflicted," Sasuke shouted. Everyone started scrambling around to fulfill his orders, unhooking the boats and putting them in the water. "And Sakura, you're coming with me."

"Okay," she replied, nodding her head in determination. He smirked and let go of her hand to go and give other orders. Sakura blushed and leaned her hands against the railing to look at the burning ship. She gulped and tried to swallow the bile in her throat. _'Who would do such a thing?_' she thought in horror.

* * *

Sakura sat in her seat in the rowboat and fiddled with her shirt as she stared around her. Wreckage from the pirate ship littered every space of the water as they moved on, avoiding the bodies of the dead that floated in the water.

"God," Sakaku murmured. "I can understand battles between pirates, but this is just ridiculous."

"You got that right," Naruto whispered. Nagato gestured them to be quiet while he and Sasuke surveyed the area around them. The other rowboat held Shikamaru, Sai, Neji, and a couple other crewmembers. Shikamaru signaled to Sasuke that his group was going to go around the other side of the burning ship and Sasuke gave him a thumbs up to go ahead. The rowboat disappeared behind the other side and Sasuke had Nagato tie the boat to something so they could go aboard and investigate.

"Okay, when the others get on board, we're going to split into groups," Sasuke whispered. "Sai is going to be with Hosuke and Jin, while Shikamaru, Neji, Nagato, and Sakaku are going to be the other one. I'll take Sakura and Naruto with me to search as far underneath it as we can."

The others nodded and started climbing up the side of the boat to get on the deck. Shikamaru's group was already there, so Sasuke relayed the plan again. Everyone split into their respective groups and split up to search the ship, or what was left of it. Naruto walked to the lower level stairs and waited for them to follow him; once they were with him, they walked down the stairs and Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm in fear.

"I don't like this place," she whispered. "It smells really bad."

"Maybe that's because it's burning and there are bodies of people everywhere," Naruto said, gesturing to the bodies all over the floor and stairs. Sakura hid her face in Sasuke's shoulder and he kept her locked in place at his side, his senses on full alert.

"Naruto, you need to be careful. Something doesn't feel right," Sasuke told him. The blonde noticed how Sasuke had used his name and knew the situation had to be dire if his friend was calling him by his first name. He nodded and drew his sword silently, looking back at Sasuke and Sakura and seeing them so close to each other.

"If I wouldn't know any better," he whispered to them. "You guys had finally realized your feelings for each other." Sakura blushed and Sasuke looked away, causing Naruto to chuckle. "So, I was right. When did it happen?"

"When did what happen?" Sakura asked. Naruto grinned and gestured at their linked arms. "Oh, um-"

"When I got up," Sasuke said and they finally reached the lower level of the ship. Water soaked them to their calves as they walked around and avoided a few bodies here and there, Sakura all the while sticking to Sasuke's side.

"Yo, Sasuke," came Naruto's voice. "Check this out." Sasuke waded to his side, leaving Sakura to stand by herself in the middle of the large room. When Sasuke got to where Naruto was, he saw the blonde leaning over something.

"What did you find?" Naruto stepped away said:

"A survivor." And there was indeed a survivor; a woman with long violet hair that was soaked from the water. The girl groaned weakly and Naruto picked her up gently, her dress hanging from her body in rags practically. Sasuke went to Sakura and pushed her up the stairs, prodding her gently.

"So you found a survivor?" she asked. Sasuke nodded and they let Naruto and the woman go first.

"Yeah, but get this: it was Lady Hinata Hyuuga, heiress to the Hyuuga family who went missing a year ago."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"How is she?" Sasuke asked Sakura as she came out of her cabin. Sakura nodded.

"She's fine, just a slight concussion from the explosion. She should be fine by tomorrow," Sakura replied. Sasuke nodded and motioned for her to follow him to his cabin. She nodded and closed the door softly so she wouldn't wake anyone up on the ship. It was around two o'clock in the morning, but Sakura had decided to stay up and care for the heiress they had found on the burning pirate ship the crew had investigated. Hinata Hyuuga had been reported missing a year ago after a pirate raid on her mansion and they had killed everyone except her, her baby sister, and her father. Neji was discovered to be her cousin when they got her on the boat because he had rushed her side and started checking over her, but Sakura had them take her away so she could treat her.

"Sakura, I want you to take care of her until we can get her back to a port to report her found. She can't stay here, with us," Sasuke said as he sat down in a chair. Sakura nodded and stood in front of him, a few feet separating them. He smirked and grabbed her hand to pull her closer to him as he stood up in front of her. Lifting a hand to her cheek, he brushed it gently and pushed the bang that was in her face away, causing Sakura to blush lightly. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at him from her eyelashes, making Sasuke smirk playfully.

Before Sasuke could lean down and kiss her like he had earlier the day before, there was knock at the door. Sasuke growled and shouted: "What?"

"Sasuke, I'm going to be on duty so you can get your sleep," Nagato said from the other side. Sakura sighed and pulled away from Sasuke in disappointment. Sasuke sighed as well and grabbed her hand to pull her close again.

"Don't worry," he said as Sakura hugged him. "He knows about us thanks to a certain Dobe." While Sakura had been treating Lady Hinata, Naruto had taken it upon himself to tell the** ENTIRE **crew about Sasuke and Sakura and how they had gotten together. Sasuke had come so close to killing the entire lot when he heard a couple voices saying: _"Well finally…"_

"What was their reaction?" Sakura asked. Sasuke sighed again and shook his head.

"You know them," he implied. Sakura nodded and looked up at him cutely. He smirked at her and leaned his head down to put his forehead on hers. "Have I ever told you thank you?"

Sakura laughed and linked hands with him. "Yeah. Actually a lot lately. How long has it been since that fateful day that you captured and decided to use me as a hostage?"

"About two months?"

"And it took two months to start being nice to me. Wow," Sakura whispered. Sasuke pouted and lowered his head even more to where his nose was touching hers.

"Hey, I'm a ruthless pirate. What can you do about it?"

"I don't know." Sakura leaned forward all the way and kissed him, surprising him a little before he kissed her back gently. Her heart started beating when Sasuke tried to deepen it by running his tongue along her bottom lip and she unhooked her hands from his to latch them around his neck, allowing him to kiss her even more. He growled in his throat and backed her into a wall, kissing her more roughly. Sakura replied with a groan as he pressed himself to her and gasped when he let her have some air, but then went straight back for her lips again.

Just as Sasuke was reaching for her shirt, there was a horrible scream from the room next to them and Sasuke dropped Sakura as she pushed at him. Sakura ran from the cabin in a hurry with Sasuke on her heels and slammed the door open to her cabin. Hinata was screaming bloody murder as she slept, a vivid dream causing her to see horrible visions. The girl rushed to the heiress's side and pulled her close, rubbing her hair back as Hinata sobbed, fully awake now and clutching onto Sakura's shirt.

"Don't worry, My Lady," Sakura soothed her. "It was just a dream."

"B-But, I-I saw s-so many d-d-deaths! T-There was s-so m-much blood!" the girl cried. Sakura sighed and looked at Sasuke, a worried expression on her face. Sasuke turned around and saw Naruto and the rest of the crew there, minus a few that were still dead to the world.

"Is she okay?" Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded and moved out of the way as Naruto made his way over to the two girls. He bent over Hinata and picked her up and put her on his lap, stroking her hair just like Sakura had been doing previously. There was a confused look on Sakura's face and she turned away from them to head back to Sasuke. He was ushering the crew back to bed, threatening them if they didn't go to sleep he would cut their provisions. Closing the door behind her, Sakura walked after Sasuke into his cabin and watched as Sasuke laid on his bed.

"Why is Naruto acting as if he's close to Lady Hinata?" she asked, sitting next to him softly. Sasuke took her hand as she began to stroke his leg gently and pulled her to his side with a quiet thump.

"The last time we visited her country, we acted as servants to the Hyuuga household to rob them from the inside. Naruto met Hinata and they became close, sneaking out to walk around the acres Hiashi owned, talking about themselves and other things. Soon enough, he let slip who we were, but she didn't rat us out, surprisingly. She and Naruto had become too close for that to happen. However, our visit was cut short when _another_ group of pirates attacked the Hyuuga mansion, taking Hinata with them for ransom. It was a drastic blow to his heart and he vowed to kill them the next time he saw them. I, as well as the crew, managed to convince him otherwise and he forgot his revenge, but not Hinata."

Sakura nodded and put her chin on his shoulder, her face in his neck. Sasuke chuckled and looked down at her. "Aren't you tired yet?" Sakura nodded and Sasuke turned on his side, putting an arm around her waist. "Then sleep. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Sakura smiled weakly and curled against him to seek warmth as Sasuke started to stroke her hair softly to lull her to sleep. Her eyes began to drop until she was completely asleep, her breathing slow and deep.

Sasuke smiled at her and pulled the blanket over them, returning his arms on Sakura's waist. He stared down at her as she slept, a soft smile on his lips. Lifting one hand from the blankets, he brushed her cheek softly, barely even touching it. Sakura's eyes furrowed at the touch, but her expression relaxed when Sasuke went from her cheek to her jaw line and back to her cheek. His movements became sluggish before they stopped, his hand falling on his pillow behind her head.

Sakura smiled and peeked at him through heavy eyes; he had fallen asleep, his breathing slow and rhythmic. She sighed and shook her head softly before closing her eyes again and falling asleep.

* * *

Light shone through the windows of Sasuke's cabin the next morning, causing Sakura to blink her eyes open in weariness. Sasuke was still asleep next to her, his breathing deep and slow. She slowly stood up, trying to be quiet so he could sleep a little longer since they had stayed up so late. Moving stealthily, she maneuvered herself through the door, closing it with a quiet snap before walking across the already busy deck.

"Let's get those sails up so we can head to the next port!" Nagato shouted. He saw Sakura coming towards him sluggishly and waved to her.

"Well, good morning, Sakura," he said as she reached him. She rubbed at her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like a good morning. Sakura turned to see if the door to the cabin Hinata was open, but saw it was closed. Looking around, she noticed Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked. Nagato pointed at the closed door and chuckled.

"I'm dead tired," he stated. "I didn't get a wink of sleep because the two were…you know…" Sakura gasped and put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"No way!" she exclaimed. She looked at the door again and sighed.

"That idiot never seems to stop amazing me," a tired voice sad behind them. Sakura smiled and looked at Sasuke as he walked over to them. Nagato chuckled and rubbed his neck.

"We tried to get some work done before you got up, but everyone is just too tired for some reason."

"Maybe it's because of the two love birds," Shikamaru said walking past them. He yawned to prove his point and moved on, making the three stare at him.

"No, I don't think it was them," Sakaku said stepping up next to his brother. "The last few days have been pretty hectic. I wouldn't doubt if someone fell over with exhaustion in a few hours when it gets hot."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Sasuke asked. Sakura giggled and said:

"We should take a vacation!" The others gave her a weird look and she huffed. "When we drop Hinata at the next port, we can take a trip to a hot springs or something. We could do what we did in Sand; pose as a family and pretend to be tourists."

"Sakura," Nagato sighed. "After what happened in Sand, we might not be able to show our faces for a while in a port. Our faces are probably posted everywhere; in every port, motel, and resort." Sakura's expression dropped and she pouted, looking out at the sea. Sasuke sighed and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Personally, Sakura, I think that's a brilliant idea," Sasuke told her. "But, Nagato has a point: We can't stop somewhere for a long period of time because someone will recognize us."

"And I wonder whose fault that was," Sakura murmured. Sasuke scowled and removed his arm.

"Don't go blaming me on that. Who was the one that let herself be taken advantage of, huh?"

"I didn't know he was going to react that fast, though!"

"Huh, yeah right."

"Don't start with me, Uchiha!"

"Start what?"

"ARRGG! Stop acting so innocent!"

"Hey!" a voice said from the top mast. "I see land up ahead!" The crew rushed to the sides of the ship and looked; there was a big mass of land several miles in front of them. Sakura stared up at Sasuke before huffing and walking over to her cabin and pounding on the door.

"Get up you guys! There's land ahead!" There was shuffling inside and the door opened to reveal a half dressed Naruto. He looked well rested despite his activities the previous night. Hinata was sitting on the bed putting on the clothes that had been brought to her the night before, so if she woke up she would have better clothes.

"There's land?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded and stepped aside to let the half naked man pass. She looked at Hinata and saw her blushing slightly and Sakura smiled before walking into the room and closing the door behind her.

"So, did you have fun last night?" she asked, teasing the poor girl. Hinata blushed again but nodded her head slightly before getting up to grab the pants on the table. Sakura helped her by standing next to her in case she fell over in the process. "I understand you and Naruto are in love?" Hinata nodded and went to go sit on the bed again.

"Y-Yes. Ever since the day we met, w-we've been in l-love," the girl murmured. Sakura smiled at her and sat next to her.

"I can tell he really likes you, Hinata. Trust me, even I have a similar experience on this ship."

"R-Really?" Suddenly, the door opened and they turned to see Sasuke in the doorway. He had his normal smirk on his face as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Oh really, Sakura?" he joked. "And what would that be?"

"Were you eavesdropping on us, Sasuke?" Sakura scolded before getting up. Hinata got up in respect for the one who saved her and curtsied thankfully, but Sakura tapped her shoulder softly and she looked at the girl. She gave Hinata a look and the younger girl looked surprised as she looked from Sasuke to her. Sakura winked at her and walked towards Sasuke and looped her arm through his offering one.

"Why yes I was, Sakura," Sasuke teased. "And what are you going to do about it?" Sakura giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Nothing, seeing as how I _can't_ do anything against you."

"Yeah, I know." Then, he turned to Hinata and winked at her. "When you're ready to get outside, I'll send Sakura or Naruto to come get you. There's a port coming up and we think it's your country. Once there, we'll drop you off or escort you to your mansion before heading off. That sound okay?"

Hinata's face fell at the thought of leaving Naruto again, but she nodded before sitting on the bed again. "That's fine." Sakura looked up at Sasuke, a worried expression on her face. Sasuke shrugged lightly before turning back to Hinata.

"Do you want me to get Naruto?" he asked softly. Hinata nodded and slumped her shoulders in sadness. Sakura sighed silently and left with Sasuke, who steered her away from the door and called for Naruto.

"Dobe, your girlfriend wants to be with you," Sasuke yelled to the blond. Naruto looked up from something he had been looking at and walked, or rather ran, to the cabin where Hinata was waiting. He grinned at Sakura and Sasuke sadly before going inside and closing the door behind him.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto had disappeared into Hinata's room thirty minutes ago and when Sakaku had gone up to the door, he had heard muffled voices inside, unlike the ones they had heard the night before.

"I don't know," Sakura murmured. "Lady Hinata looked distressed when we left and Naruto wasn't acting like himself." Sasuke put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. They were getting closer to the port, having put their flag away in case the Navy saw them. "What country does she live in?"

"Konoha," Sasuke said. Sakura jerked away from him and stood up quickly. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

"D-Did you say K-Konoha?" Sakura stuttered. Sasuke and the crew stared at her in confusion, then realization dawn on them.

"You're from Konoha?" Neji asked. Sakura nodded her head and looked away before taking a few steps back and turning around to walk to Sasuke's cabin. Walking a little faster, she pushed the door open and walked inside, closing the door with a slam. The crew looked around at each other before Sasuke stood up and followed her to his cabin. He opened the door slowly, looking around to find Sakura and finding her sitting on the window sill.

Sasuke closed the door behind him and walked towards her. "Sakura, are you okay?" Sakura turned to face him, her face sad.

"Yes, but it's been two months since I've been there. And according to Kankuro, my father is still searching for me." Sasuke sighed and pulled her in front of him so she was sitting in front of him with him in between her legs.

"What do you want to do?" he asked. "It's your choice: We can stop by, seeing as how we need more supplies, or we can just drop Hinata off and get going." Sakura shook her head and leaned forward to where her head was on his torso and she was gripping his shirt tightly.

"I don't want to leave you," she said with tears springing to her eyes. "I don't want to leave this ship, this crew, or you!" Sasuke brushed her hair back soothingly and she looked up at him with tears running down her cheeks. He chuckled and wiped them away with his hand.

"You might just have to leave us, Sakura," he whispered sadly. Sakura jerked back and stared at him with horrified eyes.

"W-What? Why?"

"Sakura, the pirate life is not for you. You almost idied/i a couple times because of me." Sasuke sighed and looked at the wall where Naruto and Hinata were behind. "The reason why Hinata and Naruto are acting strange is because Hinata wants Naruto to go with her." Sakura gasped and let go of his shirt to put a hand over her mouth in shock.

"Before Hinata was taken, Naruto told me they were planning on eloping, to run away from her family and the pirate life. I acknowledged it, but according to the Pirate Code, he was betraying his crew members. I was forced to go with it and I cut him three times on each cheek. That's why he has those scars on his cheeks. When those pirates took Hinata, Naruto rejoined the crew in order to go after them, but we couldn't do anything about the wounds I had put on him. He wasn't mad at me like he should have been, but knowing him, he said:_ "I'm not mad. It was my choice to abandon the crew for a woman. I deserved these marks."_

Sakura stared up at him with sad eyes and reached up to touch his cheeks. Sasuke looked down at her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't want you to live by that code because of me. That's why I don't want you here with me," he said, his hands going to her jaw. Tears were running faster down her cheeks and she repressed a sob, closing her eyes tightly and lunging at him. She wrapped her arms around his middle and clung to him, gripping his shirt from behind and pulling tightly. Sasuke closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair, a lump in his throat that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he swallowed.

Finally, Sasuke pushed at her shoulders to make her look at him in the eye. Sakura stared up at him, sobs tearing from her throat in gasps. He narrowed his eyes in regret and leaned down, his lips connecting to hers. Sakura closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her and pressing against him as he leaned her back slightly. Her hands went to his hair, tangling themselves in his black spikes as their kiss deepened.

"Sasuke!" Naruto burst through and the two broke apart quickly. Naruto's eyes were wide in fear as he cried: "The Navy found us! They're heading our way as I speak!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"What are we going to do?" Sakaku cried. "It's too late to change course and run!"

"Stop your blubbering, Sakaku!" Nagato shouted at him. The command silenced his brother and the younger boy looked down in defeat.

"What else are we going to do?" Naruto exclaimed. "We're pirates for God's sake! We must fight! They already know who we are, so we have to show what the crew of the Sharingan can do!"

"Don't act so hastily, Dobe," Sasuke ordered a little harshly. Naruto shrunk back from his tone of voice and Sasuke walked to the middle of the group. There was a scowl on his face as he watched the Navy ships come for them, their flag waving in the wind. Then, he was giving out orders.

"Get the cannons ready! I want the part of the crew that had been taken by the natives a couple months ago to go down there and man them. When I give the signal, you are to fire into their ships when they come aboard."

"What?" Neji cried. "You're letting them come aboard? _Have you gone completely mad?_"

"They know we have Sakura with us, seeing as how your brother survived," Sasuke said turning to Sakura. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, her eyes hopeful.

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.

"I heard while in Sand when you were away. I forgot all about it until a couple minutes ago, I swear." Sakura nodded slowly and looked at the Navy fleet coming for them with sad eyes. She recognized Ranosuke's ship at the head of the group and smiled lightly. Then, she turned to Sasuke and nodded once.

"Let them come aboard," she said. Sasuke nodded, his eyebrows knitted together and he started shouting orders again. Sakura leaned against the railing and listened to his shouts go through her head and out the other side. _'Am I doing the right thing?'_ she thought.

* * *

Sasuke stood on his deck as he watched the Naval ships surround his ship, leaving no space to escape. He had Naruto with Hinata by his side, Nagato, Sakaku, Shikamaru, Neji, Sai, and a couple other members of his crew by him. Sakura was standing at his side, her hand clasped in his tightly and she was shaking with anticipation.

"It will be fine, Sakura," Sasuke whispered. "Just go with me and follow my lead." Sakura nodded and let go of his hand when he pulled away from her. Finally, her brother's ship stopped right by the side of Sasuke's ship and there were Navy officials and sailors on it, waiting for the command to board. Sakura gulped and stayed her shaking body, her heart thumping painfully.

"Board!" an unfamiliar voice shouted. Sakura jerked her head at the voice and looked for her brother as the sailors boarded the pirate ship. They were immediately surrounded by swords and crossbows and Sasuke and the crew were forced to put their hands up in surrender. Sakura grabbed onto Sasuke in fear and he dropped one hand to put it around her shoulders protectively.

"Wait! Put down your weapons!" The swords and bows were put down and Sakura was grabbed by a familiar hand. She looked up at the person holding her and grinned widely.

"Ranosuke!" she cried and hugged her brother. Ranosuke hadn't changed save for the eye patch he wore over his right eye from the encounter two months ago.

"Oh, Sakura! I thought I would never see you again!" her brother cried. There were tears running from his eye that wasn't covered and they fell in her hair. Sakura was crying too and she pulled from him to look at him. She touched his cheek and her eyes narrowed.

"How did you get this?"

"That blasted pirate over there blew our ship up and I was hit in the eye with a piece of wood," he growled as he looked at Sasuke. The Sharingan's captain glared back as his hands were tied behind his back as well the others besides Hinata who was pulled away from Naruto.

"My, my, what do we have here?" a voice hissed. Sasuke's head jerked up at the sound of the voice and looked up at a man that greatly resembled a snake. His eyes looked like slits and were gold, just like a snake's. And by the way he dressed, it looked like he was pirate, but a very rich one. Sasuke snarled at him and turned to Ranosuke quickly.

"What have you done, you bastard?" Sasuke yelled at him. "Why are you in leagues with_ him_? Do you even value your lives?"

"And who are you to tell me what to do, _pirate_?" Ranosuke sneered. Sakura looked up at him in surprise; she had never heard him speak like this to anyone before. She pushed away from him and looked him in his eye, her own wide with disbelief.

"What are you saying, Ranosuke? This man is apparently dangerous if Sasuke says he is!"

"Are you saying you actually trust this man, Sakura?" her brother said in disbelief. "This man who kept you captive for two months?"

Sakura shook her head. "Do I look malnourished to you? Do I look beaten to death? No, because Sasuke actually protected me for those two months!" She looked at Sasuke with a bright expression, even though she was met with a shocked one. "He had the choice to kill me if he wanted to, but I'm still here, standing in front of you."

Sasuke swallowed and looked at the commander of the fleet for his reaction. Ranosuke looked confused and he looked at the man that had confronted Sasuke. Instead of looking mad, the pirate was laughing cruelly.

"Do you not see this, Commander Haruno? This pirate has brainwashed your dear sister into believing he actually protected her. He gave her a false sense of security in order to get her to trust him." Ranosuke looked at Sakura in confusion and Sakura mirrored his reaction, but directed it to Sasuke.

"W-What?" she stuttered. Sasuke struggled against the ropes holding him and they snapped easily with his strength. He strode over to her quickly and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't listen to him, Sakura!" he exclaimed. "Every word he utters is a lie. You can't listen to him!" Sakura looked from him to her brother, then to the man who told her that Sasuke was betraying her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled to her. Sakura looked in his direction with uncertain eyes. Naruto looked frantic as he looked at Hinata who was being held by an officer. "You have to trust Sasuke! That man is dangerous; he's the pirate lord Orochimaru! He's the one who killed Sasuke's parents and ordered your brother to arrest his brother!"

"N-No way!" Sakura cried. She looked at her brother in horror and disbelief, every faith she ever had for him shattered in one blow. "Ranosuke, why?"

"Our family is in trouble, Sakura!" Ranosuke yelled. "We **need** his help! Why do you think I brought you on that trip with me three years ago? It was to keep you from knowing about him seeing as how he was meeting Father about his debts he owed to the government!"

"But you knew he was dangerous, didn't you?" Sakura screamed. "You only thought about yourself when we went on that trip and only cared about yourself when I almost died!" Sasuke put a hand on his arm but she jerked it back harshly. "And I bet that was the same reason you kidnapped me, too!" Sakura yelled at him.

"What? No, Sakura!" Sasuke told her. "I was…I was ordered by your father to keep you safe." Sakura looked at him in disbelief and stepped away from her brother and the one she loved.

"What the hell is going on?" she screamed and clutched her head. "I almost died three fucking times all because you wanted to keep me safe?"

"Of course not, my dear," the snake man drawled, standing next to her. "You almost died because of your brother and this man." He put a hand on her shoulder and Sakura flinched back.

"Don't speak to me with such lies!" she screeched. "Why did my father want to keep me away from my home? My family?"

"Sakura," Ranosuke started, but Sakura continued.

"Why? Why was I lied to?" Tears of frustration and anger fell down her cheeks as she gripped her hair in confusion. Sasuke felt like he couldn't do anything to help her; he had brought this upon himself, so he wanted to finish it.

"Two months ago, your father asked me to protect you for a great sum of money." Sakura looked at him quickly, her hair whipping around. " Knowing he could be executed for the action, he kept it a secret from your brother in order to protect you at the same time. I tracked down the ship you and Ranosuke were in and, being the pirate I am, destroyed it along with more than half the crew. Your brother was suppose to die as well since he had been dealing with _that man_ at the time."

Sasuke sighed and looked at her with sad eyes. "You were never suppose to get hurt in any way, nor fall in love with me." The crew's, as well as everyone on the ship, eyes got wide at his words. Sakura watched him, tears still running down her face at the rush of information. Sasuke turned to glare at the pirate lord, his eyes burning with hate. "And you were never suppose to show your face ever again in the pirating world!"

Orochimaru chuckled and fingered the sword at his side. "And you, Sasuke, Lord of the Uchiha, were suppose to live." Then, the man lunged for Sakura and grabbed her, the girl giving a yelp of pain and surprise.

"NO!" Sasuke and Ranosuke cried. The whole ship went into an uproar and the Sharingan crew started yelling to get at the Naval officers and pirate lord.

"This wasn't part of the deal, Orochimaru!" Ranosuke yelled. Orochimaru simply laughed as he held a struggling Sakura.

"On the contrary, my good commander, you said not to hurt her. I don't plan on touching a single hair on her hair." He chuckled evilly and lowered his head to Sakura's neck and the girl stopped breathing completely when he licked the sensitive skin. "Yet."

"Don't you dare touch her, you bastard!" Sasuke shouted. He charged forward with both his katanas drawn in the direction of the pirate lord. Orochimaru pulled Sakura in front of him and Sasuke stopped immediately.

"That's right, Sasuke. You wouldn't dare hurt the one you love," Orochimaru hissed. Sasuke snarled and whipped his katanas in the air, making them whistle slightly. Slamming them in the wood of the deck, they made a thud and it vibrated to the rest of the crew below them. With the signal given, the crew set the cannons ablaze and there was a loud bang from each one as they collided with the ships surrounding the Sharingan.

Sasuke's own Sharingan was swirling as he glared at the man in front of him. Pointing one katana at the man, he growled: "Let her go, Orochimaru, and I won't kill you."

"I don't think so, Sasuke. I'm taking this young woman with me, whether you like it or not." Suddenly, the ship lurched and Sasuke stumbled as his crewmembers stopped fighting the Naval sailors they had been fighting. Sasuke turned his attention to Orochimaru and saw him sneering down at him.

"You dare use that _beast_?" Sasuke shouted. "You always were a cheater when you weren't getting what you wanted!"

"Yes, but I don't think those insults will do you any good when you're dead." With a struggling Sakura, he jumped high into the air and onto one of the masts. "Without further ado, I give you…The Giant Unagi!" The water beside the ship erupted and a giant eel came up from the depths of the ocean, its teeth razor sharp and its beady eyes staring at them. The whole deck was silent as they watched the giant eel lurch from side to side like a snake, their eyes following it.

"SASUKE!" Sakura shouted as she watched the eel fall down on the ship, shattering the ship in half. Wood flew in the air as well as bodies of those who couldn't escape the water and thrashing eel. Orochimaru laughed evilly and disappeared just as the mast they were on fell, Sakura screaming Sasuke's name.

* * *

Sasuke crawled to the shore and flipped over on the sand with half his crew beside him, spluttering for air as well as getting the water from their systems. Ranosuke had managed to escape with them, coughing up excess water and blood. Before the eel had come crashing down, Sasuke had ran to his crew and, with Ranosuke following them, jumped over board. Naruto had grabbed Hinata in the process and jumped with her in his arms into the sea. No one else on the ship survived the eel's onslaught besides them. But they could not escape the shards of wood that came barreling near them, cutting some of them and even impaling some of them through limbs.

Sasuke remembered the slimy bastard that had taken Sakura and he cursed, slamming his fist into the sand. He rubbed his face with his hands in frustration and cried out.

"God dammit!" Sasuke yelled. "Fuck that Orochimaru to fucking _HELL_!"

"Yelling at yourself isn't going to save my sister!" Ranosuke yelled back. Sasuke turned his head to glare at him with rage filled eyes. Getting up, he hurled himself at the older man and punched him in the face.

"You're one to talk! You endangered her life as well! Your not any better than the slimy git himself!" Ranosuke roared and pushed him off, jumping on top of him and punching him as well.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had kept your fucking mouth shut!" Suddenly, they were pulled apart and the two struggled to get at each other.

"Stop it, both of you!" Nagato yelled as he held Sasuke back. Naruto struggled to keep a hold of Ranosuke and managed to force him to his knees by kicking him from behind the knees. "Beating each other up is ibnot/b/i going to bring Sakura back!"

Sasuke stopped struggling and slumped in Nagato's hold and Nagato dropped him like a dead weight. Sasuke's knees hit the sand with a heavy thud, his fingers knotting in his hair. i'It's all my fault,'/i he thought as tears ran down his cheeks._ 'It's my fault the only one I've come to love is going to die.'_

Ranosuke watched the pirate who was the most feared in the world besides Orochimaru, one of the pirate lords, reduce to tears because of one girl: his isister/i. He gulped and stepped forward. "You really do love my sister, don't you?"

Sasuke nodded, but refused to look up at him. "Yes, I do." Ranosuke kneeled to his level and picked his chin up to force Sasuke to look at him.

"Then, how about I propose a deal?" Ranosuke said slyly, a cheeky grin on his lips. "One that will change your fate as a pirate forever."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sakura groaned heavily as she opened her eyes painfully slow, but only to shut them again due to the pounding headache she had. Trying to recall the past events and failing horribly, she tried to sit up only to realize she couldn't. Jerking her arms, she found that her arms were bound behind her back and that she was lying on a bed. _'W-What the hell?'_ Sakura cried in her head. Then, the memories came rushing back to her enough to make her head spin.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," a voice said. Sakura froze and looked to the person in the doorway. He had silver hair and glasses, and bore the pirate lord's -Orochimaru- symbol on his shirt. The man leered down at her state and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "You were drugged, so everything should be quite hazy for right now."

"Where am I?" Sakura growled. Her voice was indeed slurred and her eyes were hazy, making the man grin.

"Even in your state, you're still able to move around like you are," the man murmured as he looked at the clipboard he was holding. Sakura narrowed her dazed eyes and pulled her legs from under the covers carefully and quietly as the man looked at his data on the clipboard. Pulling her arms under her legs, she managed to have her hands back in front of her and she stumbled to her feet shakily. The man didn't notice her stumble to him before it was too late; Sakura took her hands, which were now fists, and slammed them into his face.

"You bitch!" he roared in pain and anger. Sakura sneered at him and brought up a leg to knee him in the crotch. Unfortunately, her movements were slow since she had been drugged so heavily and the man caught it before she could touch him. "I don't care if you're important to Lord Orochimaru. I'm going to make sure you'll be unable to move on to the next life."

"Kabuto, refrain from touching her in any way than you already are," a woman's voice hissed. Kabuto dropped the drugged girl and Sakura stumbled back, falling back on the bed with a soft thump. "You know Our Lord needs this girl for reasons."

"She hit me!" Kabuto whined.

"And she's, what, three years younger than you?" the girl screeched. Her voice pierced Sakura's pounding head and she winced slightly. "Now get out before I make you, Kabuto!" The man huffed and walked out of the room, trying to clean the blood off his face with one hand and the other holding his glasses. The girl in the doorway cleared his way for him before turning back to Sakura. She had red, messy hair that matched her crimson dress. There were horn-rimmed glasses perched on her upturned nose, giving her expression a snobby look.

"So, you're the girl Lord Orochimaru is so keen on using in this war…" the girl murmured. Sakura managed a glare before her vision swayed slightly. There was a light chuckle from beside her as the girl walked closer and sat down on the bed. The captive shrunk back slightly when she thought she was going to get hit, but the other woman laughed again.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You've been tortured enough as it is, having to stay with a pirate like Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sasuke? What happened to him? And his crew?" Sakura asked hopefully. The woman in front of him shook her head and shrugged.

"For all I know, no one survived after that monster got finished with that ship of his," she said flipping her hair. Sakura felt tears push to her eyes and she sniffled a little, finally breaking down into tears. The woman sighed and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.

"H-He couldn't have d-died," Sakura hiccupped. The woman stroked her hair gently as she let the younger girl cry.

"I know this isn't the best of times, but let me introduce myself. My name is Karin, and I'll be taking care of you while you stay here." Sakura nodded and she continued to cry helplessly, feeling like she had when she had been taken captive by Sasuke all over again. Karin couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief; _'So this girl DOES love Sasuke, hm?'_

"Tell you what," Karin said quietly. "Why don't I go get you some food in a bit so you can rest some more? How does that sound?" Sakura nodded again and Karin got up to leave, but Sakura tugged at her dress like a small child. Karin chuckled lightly and looked back at her. "Yes?"

"Don't let that guy from earlier come back. Please?" Sakura whispered. Karin smiled lightly and nodded before walking out of the room. Sakura could feel the drug she had been given being driven from her system faster than she thought it would. She laid down and closed her eyes, sleep coming quicker than she would have liked.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said with a bow. "It has been confirmed that Sasuke Uchiha, along with his crew, ship, and the Navy fleet perished in the assault." Evil laughter filled the chamber and Kabuto couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his back.

"Perfect," the pirate lord hissed. "It is all going according to plan, just as I hoped it would."

"And the girl? What use is she to us?"

"You will know soon, my dear assistant." Orochimaru tapped his fingers together and grinned maliciously. "You shall know soon enough."

"I absolutely hate it when I don't know something you do," Kabuto sneered. Orochimaru laughed evilly at his statement.

"The world is not fair, Kabuto. Now, go and summon our young mistress from her room. I must speak with her about…tonight." Kabuto bowed with a smirk and walked away. _'Tonight should be interesting,'_ he thought pushing his glasses up higher. That night would be the biggest meeting in pirate history; the pirate Lords were going to gather and discuss strategies against the Royal Navy, who was getting closer and closer to finding the pirate cove where the meeting would be held. Apparently, the three Lords had been able to call a short truce in a matter of weeks.

Kabuto saw Karin appear from Sakura's room and scowled. "Go back in there and tell her to get dressed. My Lord wishes to see her and to talk to her about tonight." This statement was immediately answered with a glare so powerful it made him shrink back in pure fear.

"How long do you plan on torturing the poor girl? She just lost the one she loved all because of a war."

"Must I remind you that Sasuke Uchiha was becoming more powerful than Lord Orochimaru?"

"Do you think I care?" Karin spat back. "Do you think I care about _My Lord_?" Kabuto glared at her and shouldered past her to get to Sakura's room, but Karin grabbed his arm. "If you go in there, I will kill you."

"Why are you so protective of this girl? How is she so important to you?" Kabuto sneered. Karin looked down, but then looked up with an angry look on her face.

"It is none of your business, Kabuto. Leave Sakura alone or I will keep my word about killing you."

"Heh, we'll see about that," Kabuto hissed. He jerked his arm from her grip and marched into Sakura's room, shoving the door with a bang. There was a cry of surprise and pain as Kabuto yanked her through the door and down the hall by the back of her shirt. Karin growled at him and ran after him, a protesting and struggling Sakura with them. Kabuto opened the door to Orochimaru's chamber and shoved Sakura in before them, the younger girl falling to the ground in a heap. Just as she was about to stumble back up, her head was forced back down in a kind of bow.

"Pay your respects for the man that spared your life, bitch," Kabuto hissed. Karin barged in, gave a quick bow, and pointed accusingly at him.

"Don't let Kabuto throw her around like this, My Lord! She is your property after all," she added smugly.

"She is correct, Kabuto," Orochimaru hissed. "Do not mistreat her like that." Kabuto gaped and let go of Sakura who stumbled forward and onto her hands and knees. Glancing up nervously, Sakura began to shake in fear as her gaze fell on the pirate Lord.

"Welcome, Miss Haruno, to my palace," the snake man said. He gestured around him and Sakura followed his sweeping hand. The room was barely lit save for a few candles and it smelled of body fluids and essence. There were shelves along the walls that held glass jars with strange creatures and weird objects that made bile rise in Sakura's throat. However, there was a vase filled with roses and the pirate Lord picked one from it. She looked back at Orochimaru, who was watching her amusingly. Glaring dangerously, she stood up and stood her ground.

"Let me out of here, you bastard," Sakura growled.

"My, my, what a language," Orochimaru tutted. "What if your parents heard you uttering such foul speak to an elder?"

"They wouldn't care if they knew it was against you! You betrayed my brother and father just for the sake of…of…"

"That's right. You have no reason to blame me for anything," the man hissed. Standing up, he strode to where Sakura had fallen to her knees again and kneeled in front of her. Kabuto and Karin held their breaths as they watched their master. "My dear girl," he continued, "You have been betrayed by the ones most closest to you. Your heart holds darkness and sadness, which have been put there by the same ones that you thought loved you. Join me at tonight's meeting as a fine example of the war between pirates and the Royal Navy."

Sakura stared up at him as he put a hand out to her, confusion and fear in her expression. Her thoughts went to her brother; her father; her mother; to the Sharingan crew; and, finally, to Sasuke; the one she had fallen in love with. Gulping, the girl nodded and took his hand carefully, almost uncertain of what she was doing. Orochimaru sneered to himself and pulled the girl to her feet swiftly.

"Wonderful. Karin, take her back to her room so she can get prepared. Kabuto, you arrange for the transportation."

"Yes, sir."

"Now go. I must attend to important matters." The two bowed and Karin took Sakura's arm lightly.

"Let's go, Sakura. I think I have the perfect dress for you!" All Sakura could do was nod as she was led back out of the room and to Karin's. Kabuto watched them go before turning back to his master.

"Are you serious, My Lord? What has she got to do with this war?"

"Like I said, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, playing with the rose he had picked from the vase. "You will know," he crushes it in his palm, "in good time."

* * *

"Karin, why is my life so complicated?" Sakura sighed as she tried on another dress. Karin sighed and yanked on the hem to try and pull it over Sakura's hips. The material came down and flowed to her feet with a _**swish**_ and Sakura turned to look in the full length mirror.

"I honestly don't know. I guess it's just how God wanted it to be," Karin said. Sakura smiled at her reflection and ran a hand down the silky material.

"I like this one," she whispered. Karin chuckled and smoothed out a few wrinkles in the fabric. "It never really fit me anyway since I never wore it. You can have it." Sakura grinned and looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's not my color and it goes perfect with your hair." Sakura smiled at her lovingly before looking towards the door when there was a knock. "Come in." Kabuto peeked around the door and started saying something when he saw Sakura. His face lit up in a blush as he stared at her, his hands clenching the doorframe to prevent him from falling over in surprise. Sakura looked away in a hurry while Karin glared at him.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" she growled. Kabuto started and cleared his throat, his fist over his mouth.

"I-I came to see if Miss Sakura was ready or not. We are to leave in a few minutes." Sakura lowered her head in dismay at how fast time had flown and nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am ready," she whispered. Karin gave an uncertain look at her before standing up straight.

"Well, let us be off then," Karin said with false enthusiasm. Sakura nodded again and walked with Karin at her side, who gave a still blushing Kabuto a mean look. "Don't try anything funny, Kabuto."

"Don't even accuse me of such things, Karin," he said stiffly. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at their spat as they walked down the hall to Orochimaru's chambers. Opening the door, Sakura looked inside to see the man himself fixing his tie and straightening his jacket. She watched him place a captain's hat on his head before turning to her.

"Are we ready to go?" he hissed at the trio. Kabuto bowed and placed a hand on Sakura's head to make her bow too, but Karin smacked his hand away and curtsied to her master, Sakura doing the same. Orochimaru smirked and bowed to Sakura as she stood up straight.

"You look beautiful, my dear," the pirate Lord said. Sakura nodded her head with a frown on her lips. i'Why am I letting him flatter me so?'/i she thought. "Now, we must go, for I fear we are already late enough."

"Yes, My Lord," Karin and Kabuto said in unison. "Come, Sakura." Karin smiled at her sweetly before taking her arm lightly and leading her away, Kabuto behind them as they left the palace-like hideout. Orochimaru chuckled evilly as his plan proceeded without fail.

* * *

"Hello, gentlemen and m'lady," the butler greeted the group in front of him. "How many?" The man in front slipped a piece of paper in his hand and the butler's eyes widened as he read it. Bowing quickly and respectively, he let the group walk by without a word, sweat dripping from his brow. His hand shook as he straightened up and read the paper again:

_"Greetings from the Royal Seat of Pirates,_

_This is an extended invitation that gives Sasuke Uchiha and his crew passage into the Meeting of Lords, given by the Haruno Family. Please allow them entrance with this invite."_

Sasuke let his eyes roam the hall filled with pirates who had come either as representatives or were friends/crewmembers of the Pirate Lords. They burned with the Sharingan, telling some pirates to back off when they neared him. News of his and his crew's "deaths" hadn't traveled very far since it had happened just the other day. And here they were; the Pirate Lords' meeting. A hand patted his back once and he turned around to see Naruto and the two brothers, Nagato and Sakaku, standing there.

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "They're about to start." Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he nodded, making his remaining crew suddenly have second thoughts about what they were going to do. Sasuke's heart thumped painfully as the double doors opened and the sea of pirates made their way into the large, court-like room, where three throne-like chairs sat at the head of a wide, rectangular table. Two of the pirate Lords were already seated, talking in low voices. Every pirate piled into the seats against the walls, planning on surveying the first meeting in over fifty years.

Sasuke caught the eye of the only woman of the legendary Pirate Lords, Tsunade. Smirking, she leaned her cheek on her hand and turned to the other pirate Lord next to her. Sasuke made out the words that formed on her lips thanks to the Sharingan:

"Jiraiya, Sasuke Uchiha and his crew have arrived. Shall we get this meeting started then?" The man, Jiraiya, nodded and stood up, the room going quiet immediately.

"Ladies and gentlemen, pirates from everywhere," his booming voice rang out. "Let the Pirate's Meeting begin!" Suddenly, the doors slammed open again and everyone turned to look at the latecomers. Sasuke looked over his shoulder with a scowl, but the scowl turned into a look of disbelief, for there stood the other Pirate Lord, Orochimaru along with Sakura and two other people at his side. Whispers immediately started up as Sasuke turned to look at his lover in shock and awe. Sakura wore a off-white dress that ended at her feet in waves, a slight train behind it. It plunged low to where her cleavage showed tremendously, the dress having multiple layers and frills. There were threads that had jewels hanging from it in her hair, making it glitter and shine.

"Welcome, Orochimaru," Jiraiya said, obvious hate in his voice. The snake man turned his attention to his former partner and he grinned maliciously.

"Hello, Jiraiya. Am I too late?" he hissed. Sasuke glared at him with his Sharingan, the hate waves reaching the group. Sakura snapped her gaze to him and her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. Tears formed in her eyes and trailed down her cheeks slowly. Sasuke's glare softened and his hand twitched at his katanas, itching to slice the bastard who had stolen her into pieces.

"Sasuke Uchiha," came a female voice. Sasuke turned his attention back to Tsunade as she stood up. "Please refrain from killing anyone in this hall." He smirked and bowed to his elder stiffly.

"Yes, ma'am." Sasuke could feel hundreds of eyes on him and Orochimaru, who was clearly pissed because he had not successfully killed his enemy. "But I must say something about the young woman with Orochimaru." He turned to Sakura and walked over to her with a smirk on his face. Sakura smiled as he stopped in front of her and took her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I think she is the most beautiful woman in this room." Sakura blushed as she looked in his eyes and took her hand from his, only to put it on his cheek lovingly. Smiling, Sasuke took a step backwards and bowed to her in deep respect before turning back around to face the other Lords.

"My, my," Jiraiya chuckled. "Who would have thought an Uchiha could be so gentle with a woman?" Sasuke smirked and shrugged before taking his place at his spot at the table among the many captains. Orochimaru sat down at the last chair beside Jiraiya, glaring at Sasuke with an intense glare that rivaled Sasuke's. Karin led Sakura to sit in one of the many chairs in the hall, but she made sure they were close to Sasuke's crew. Sakura heard a cough from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto, Nagato, Sakaku, Hinata, and the remaining crew who had managed to escape. She smiled at them when they waved and turned back around to view the start of the meeting.

"Now that everyone is here," Tsunade started. "Let's get down to business. We all know that the Navy is closing in on us at an alarming rate because someone leaked the information of our whereabouts to them. Somehow, we have found a way to destroy this evidence from existence."

"But that still doesn't solve the fact that the Navy is after us," a young captain next to Sasuke cried out. "No matter what we do, they're going to be after us like a dog is a bone."

"That's why we have come to the conclusion that we have decided to wage war against them." Gasps came from the entire room and roars of rage went up from the captains.

"This is ludicrous!" Nagato shouted while standing up. "You plan to start a war with the _Navy_? It has grown to an outrageous size in the past twelve years ever since Itachi Uchiha was arrested!" Sasuke's eye twitched at the mention of his brother, but didn't say anything. "How do you plan in succeeding with such a suicidal mission?"

"Nagato, sit down," Sakaku hissed but Nagato didn't listen, but instead just stood there defiantly. A chuckle came from Orochimaru and he stood up and placed his hands behind his back in authority.

"And what could a mere Faerie say anything against it?" he hissed. Nagato snarled at him and was forced to be held back by Naruto and Sakaku.

"Orochimaru, leave my crew alone," Sasuke growled from his spot, standing up. "You've already put enough effort in killing them as it is."

"Sasuke Uchiha, I'm sure you agree with the fact that we need to start a war with them, hm?" Orochimaru sneered, turning to him. Sasuke snarled too and fingered his katanas.

"Personally, I completely disagree with the fact of a war," Sasuke stated. "But with the growing fate of the extinction of pirates, war is inevitable. We must act before something happens."

"That is what I think as well," Jiraiya said. "We may not want war, but it is necessary for our survival." He stood up and walked over to a window, looking out at the raging sea. In the distance, he could see sails with the Navy's seal on it. "The Navy is closing in fast, but we've just gotten started. Uchiha." Sasuke stood up and bowed in acknowledgement. "Take your crew and get out of here." Sasuke looked up in shock and surprise at the man's order.

"Sir?" he asked. Jiraiya smiled at him and looked up at Sasuke's remaining crew. Naruto stood up and looked at his teacher in concern.

"But I want Naruto Uzumaki to stay here with me." Naruto smiled and jumped down from his spot. Bowing to his commander, he turned to look at Sasuke who had shock in his eyes.

"Go, Teme! I'll be just fine!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke smirked and nodded, gesturing for the rest of his crew to follow him. Suddenly, Sakura jumped up and began running after Sasuke, tears running down her face again.

"Sakura!" Karin cried out. Sasuke stopped walking and turned around quickly in time to have Sakura ram herself into his gut, making him fall back.

"Don't leave me again!" Sakura cried. "Let me go with him!" she cried turning to the Pirate Lords. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya in concern, but the older man sighed and looked at Orochimaru with a glare.

"She is your responsibility, Orochimaru. You're the one who brought her," he said gruffly. Orochimaru leaned his cheek on his fist and merely sighed, and, with a wave of a hand, dismissed it.

"That's fine with me." Sasuke raised an eyebrow while glaring at the man who had tried to kill him and his crew.

"Don't dismiss her as if you owned her, you bastard," Sasuke growled as he stood up with Sakura in his arms. Sakura grabbed onto his shirt tightly and looked up at him with wide eyes, making him smile at her. "Come on," he said. "It's time to get going before the Navy gets here." Taking Sakura hand, he, and the rest of his crew, walked out to prepare to set sail. Once the doors were shut, Tsunade stood up and stood in front of Orochimaru and glowered down at him.

"Why did you kidnap that poor girl? What business do you have with her family?"

"There is nothing going on, my dear Tsunade," Orochimaru said. "Her dear father and brother needed help and I was all too happy to give them the help they needed."

"You lying, son of a bitch!" Naruto shouted, speaking for the first time. "Why would the notorious Haruno family need any help from a pirate such as yourself?"

"Naruto, let it be," Jiraiya said. "If it has nothing to do with us then we don't need to interrogate him." Naruto gave one last glare to Orochimaru before turning to Tsunade as she began to address the assembly of captains and their crews.

"Get your ships ready for battle. We have a war to prepare for."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sakura threw herself at her older brother as soon as their group were on Sasuke's new ship, the _Hawk_. Tears slipped from the corner's of her eyes as she was swept up in Ranosuke's arms, those same arms squeezing the life out of her. Sasuke frowned at their reunion and signaled Nagato to get the crew going so they could get out of there. In the distance, the Navy ships were flying their colors and closing in fast, Sasuke's nerves going crazy with each knot as they got closer. The captain turned around and walked to his cabin in long strides, hoping to be alone so he could find a map of the nearest country for them to hide in until the war was over.

"Sasuke," a timid voice said. "Are you okay?" A hand placed itself on his arm and he looked down at the girl he had fallen in love with. Sakura smiled up at him and he couldn't help but smirk back, causing an interesting reaction in Sakura he had never seen before. Her eyes flashed from emotion to emotion, anger to relief, a hungry look to a loving one, before returning to her original on, a smile on her face to show how proud she was of him. Sasuke tilted his head to the side in amusement and he grabbed Sakura's hand.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Sakura?" he murmured. Sakura blushed and nodded, looking behind her in case anyone was watching. When no one was, she grasped his hand and he pulled her to his cabin. As soon as the door was closed, Sasuke had pulled Sakura into his arms and had his lips pressed against hers. Sakura closed her eyes in sheer bliss, but was slightly disappointed when Sasuke leaned away to where their lips were barely touching.

"You don't know how _worried_ I was when he took you away," Sasuke whispered. Sakura looked up at him from under eyelashes and Sasuke's eyes darkened just the slightest bit. "I was prepared to **kill** for your sake."

"Aw that's so sweet, Sasuke, in an…obsessive kind of way, but still sweet nonetheless," Sakura giggled.

"Only for you," Sasuke smirked. Sakura smiled again and leaned her head on his chest, and Sasuke leaned his cheek on her hair. "I missed you so much, Sakura."

"I was only gone for a couple days though."

"You were kidnapped by my worst enemy, you idiot," Sasuke growled, sending murderous thoughts out to Orochimaru.

"But I'm your idiot, right?" Sakura asked seductively. Sasuke chuckled darkly and grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back. The back of her knees hit the bed and she was forced to sit down on the bed with Sasuke hovering over her. There was a look in his eyes that definitely meant trouble as he leaned over Sakura, his forehead braced against hers.

"Have I ever told you about how much I love you?" Sasuke asked softly, nuzzling his nose against hers. Sakura blushed and slowly shook her head, making her hair tickle Sasuke's cheeks. "Well, you're just like the sun: bright, cheerful, always able to get on my nerves at the worst times and when I'm tired." At this, Sakura pouted but it was forgotten as Sasuke brought his head down to her neck, inhaling deeply. Sakura sighed in pleasure and leaned her head back to where her neck was fully exposed from the dress.

"S-Sasuke, are you sure we should be doing this?" gasped Sakura. Sasuke could only nod as he was submerged in pleasuring the girl in front of him. "What if they hear us?" Horrible thoughts of what could happen if her _brother_ of all people heard or even saw them came to her mind and she stifled a shudder, but it gave way when Sasuke nipped at the skin of her neck. She moaned and arched into him and the pirate captain grabbed her waist and pushed her down onto his cot.

"Sakura, I know I've only known you for more than two months, but it feels like I have known you for a lifetime," Sasuke said, his voice muffled by her neck, ever traveling lower down her body.

"W-Well, we did see each other when we were younger."

"But that was years ago, and under some bad circumstances." Sasuke's eyes went dark again, but this time it was with anger. Sakura forced him to come up to face her and he hovered over her again on his hands and knees. She put a hand on his cheek and stroked it lightly.

"I don't care if something like that happened," she whispered to him. "I'm just happy we met and ended up like this."

"And I couldn't wish for anything better," and Sasuke swooped in, his lips engulfing hers in a heated kiss, and Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her.

* * *

"How long do they plan to be in there?" Ranosuke asked.

"Shut up!" Sakaku hissed. "Sakura was kidnapped by the notorious pirate lord Orochimaru! Do you even iknow/i what kind of emotional stress that put on Sasuke?"

"We all do, now shut up and keep to your jobs!" Nagato yelled from the wheel. Ranosuke stuck out his middle finger at him when he turned his back and continued to clean the deck.

"Why am I always the one that has to clean the decks?" he muttered under his breath.

"Because you have to," Shikamaru yawned from his post.

"Ugh, shut up, lazy ass." There was a grunt as a reply and Ranosuke sighed. He started backing up, mopping as he went until he was near Sasuke's cabin, where the captain and Sakura had disappeared into about an hour or so ago. Suddenly, he heard a low thump from inside followed with a very interesting sound that made Ranosuke's eyes bug out. Taking a step back, Ranosuke almost dropped his mop as he watched the door with wide eyes. _'A-Are they-'_ he thought and looked around to see if anyone else was there to see him over there. Ranosuke left quickly and went to mop somewhere else, an evident blush on his face, one of anger and embarrassment.

* * *

Sasuke nipped at Sakura's neck while Sakura traced intricate designs in the sweat on his back. There were red streaks down his back from when she had clawed at it during the activities they had done just minutes before. She could have sworn she had heard someone outside the door, but that was all forgotten when Sasuke started again. At the moment, Sasuke was lying on top of her, his elbows keeping him from crushing her small body with his.

"That was amazing," Sakura breathed. Sasuke nodded and looked down at her with loving eyes.

"It definitely was. The best I have ever had." Sakura frowned and tilted her head to the side in interest.

"There have been others?" Sasuke saw his mistake and hung his head.

"Yeah, but does being drunk count?" he pouted. Sakura giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, making him lean closer with his forehead against hers.

"No, I can let it slide this once," Sakura murmured and lightly kissed him, pulling back at the last minute. Sasuke growled and leaned down again to kiss her roughly, making her moan in his mouth. He went from his elbows to his hands and knees and was hovering over her again like he had been fifteen minutes before. Then, disappointment flared through him when Sakura pushed at his chest with shaky hands. A growl was heard through the room and they both look down at he stomach. They began laughing at her stomach as it growled again, signaling how hungry she was.

"Well, someone's a little hungry," Sasuke said kissing her stomach lightly. Sakura giggled and nodded her head, a blush on her face. Sasuke smirked and pulled away from her, putting the blanket over her and putting his clothes on after doing so. "You stay here. I'm going to go get some food for us." Once he had all his clothes on, he walked over to the door and opened it, letting the sounds of the crew working come through. He closed the door with a thud and Sakura smiled, falling back on the cot, completely and utterly happy.

* * *

"Well, look who decided to resurface from the dead," Nagato teased. Sasuke scowled and stretched, his back popping. He had been greeted by all the crew that were on the deck, Nagato being the last one to greet him. Suddenly, Nagato took him by the arm and pulled him away from the crowded deck.

"Sasuke, you broke about every Pirate Code in the freakin' book in an hour!" he whispered. "Aren't you suppose to be the captain of this crew?" Sasuke stiffened, knowing perfectly well what he meant. He took a glance to his cabin and sighed, knowing why Sakura had stopped him right in the middle to say she had heard someone out their door. "Sasuke, what if Sakura gets pregnant?" He whispered this part and Sasuke's eyes got wide. _'P-Pregnant?'_ he cried in his head. Grabbing his plate of food for him and Sakura, he rushed back to his cabin, ignoring the calls that were made to him.

Pushing the door open, he saw Sakura getting dressed in one of his shirts and pants and she looked up at him. As soon as she saw his face, her smile disappeared and she cocked her head in questioning and concern.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Sasuke exclaimed. He dropped the plate of food on the small table and walked over to her quickly. Sakura nodded and looked up at him as he stood over her.

"Yes," she said, her voice showing surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Sakura, have you ever had the thought that you might get pregnant from what we did?" The girl's eyes widened, but her expression returned to being happy quickly.

"So?" Sakura smiled again.

"We are in a war with your brother's kin!" Sasuke shouted. "If you got pregnant and you get involved, you might lose it. So…" he paused. "So…if you do get pregnant, I want you to stay out of it." Sakura's expression saddened and she hung her head, nodding slowly. Sasuke sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I should have listened to you beforehand."

"Don't make it sound like I'm already pregnant," Sakura pouted. "You know you don't always get pregnant the first time." Sasuke still wasn't sure though, but he nodded and turned around to grab the plate of food. Sakura smiled lightly and sat at the table, waiting for him to give her the food. She felt lips press against her neck and she looked up at him, but instead of seeing a smirk on his face, she saw a smile that made her heart flutter.

"I love you, Sakura," Sasuke whispered. "No matter what is going to happens. And if you do get pregnant, I'm going to live with you and help you take care of it." Tears sprang to her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his neck, twisting her upper body so she could reach him from behind. Suddenly, the door slammed open and there stood Ranosuke, a furious look on his face.

"How dare you do that to my baby sister!" he roared pointing at Sasuke.

"Ranosuke, what the hell is your problem?" Sakura yelled.

"Y-You had sex with my sister, you son of a bitch!" Ranosuke yelled. Sasuke scowled and stepped in front of Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Ranosuke. It seems I've stepped over the line that says: 'You must have permission to court Ranosuke's sister.' That was broken several days ago, my dear commander." Sasuke smirked at him and Sakura placed a hand on his arm, looking at her brother with defying eyes.

"Sakura, don't you know what you're doing?" Ranosuke asked. "If you get pregnant with his baby, what do you think mother and father will say when we get back?"

"Who says I'm going back there?" Sakura said. Even Sasuke turned to look back at her in surprise at her answer.

"Sakura?" he asked. His lover looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Didn't you just say you would help me if I got pregnant?" Sasuke smiled down at her and nodded, and they turned to look at a shocked Ranosuke. "Ranosuke, didn't you always say you wanted the best for your little sister?"

"O-Of course, Sakura! But this is just too-"

"Too what? Ranosuke, I'm in love with Sasuke, and I would do anything to be with him, even have his child. Please!" Ranosuke looked from his sister to the pirate that had stolen her heart. He finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright, fine. If you guys love each other, then I'm not going to do anything about it." Sakura tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes in concern. "Why do you look so surprised, Sakura?"

"It's just that you NEVER give in that easily," Sakura teased. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" She scooted around Sasuke and reached out to hug her brother. He enclosed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "If I **do** have a baby, can you tell him or her what an awesome father and mother they had?"

"If you're saying you guys are going to die then forget it," Ranosuke scolded. "You guys are going to be the best parents any child could have."

"What is it with you guys?" Sakura exclaimed. "You two are making it sound like I'm already pregnant!"

"You never know, Sakura." Sakura threw her hands in the air in exasperation and pushed out of his arms.

"You guys are hopeless and idiotic!"

"But you still love us," Ranosuke laughed and walked back out the door, shutting it behind him. Sasuke sighed and went to put an arm around Sakura's waist. Sakura smiled and looked up at him, putting a hand on his chest as he brought her closer. Standing on tip toes, she pressed her lips to his and he closed his eyes to enjoy it, putting his arms around her waist fully.

* * *

The waves crashed on the shore as the crew of the _Hawk_ lounged on the beach, the moonlight shining on them. Sakura sighed as she sat against a palm tree, a hand on her queasy stomach. It had been a few weeks since they escaped the Pirate Lord meeting and no news had come to them about whether or not Naruto was okay. The lady of the crew had been feeling horrible the past couple of days, getting sick over the side of the boat before they finally landed on an island near Water Country. They were planning on stopping by Kakashi's to see what was wrong with her, and, between Nagato, Ranosuke, Sasuke, and Sakura, to see if she was pregnant.

Sakura turned her head to see Sasuke conversing with what looked like an angry Ranosuke. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could only guess what it was about: her. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to them, catching snippets of their conversation.

"She's been sick for the past two days," Ranosuke hissed, "and you're telling me it seasickness?"

"It's not uncommon," Sasuke argued. "She's been through enough stress as it is the past three months!'

"Um, guys?" Sakura asked timidly.

"WHAT?" They both yelled, turning to her. She jumped and bile rose up in her throat. Putting a hand over her mouth, she dashed over to some bushes and threw up in them. Ranosuke immediately ran over to her while Sasuke stayed where he was, his head hung for yelling at her.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Ranosuke asked. Sakura nodded and stood up straight, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She walked over to Sasuke and put her arms around his waist from behind, making him jump slightly.

"Sasuke, it's not your fault. Stop worrying so much," Sakura giggled. Sasuke gulped and nodded, putting his hands on hers and looking up at the sky as well. Ranosuke smiled cheekily at them before turning to see Sakaku running up to them.

"Are you guys ready to go?" he called out. Sasuke turned his head to look over his shoulder at the younger boy.

"Yeah. That is, if you're up to it, Sakura," he asked the girl hanging onto him. Sakura nodded and smiled.

"I'm actually feeling a lot better. I think that was the last one." Sasuke nodded and looked over to Ranosuke.

"Be prepared to explain to Kakashi about why Sakura was feeling so bad," Ranosuke said. Sasuke smirked and shook his head, taking Sakura's hand.

"Are you ready, Sakura?" he asked softly. Sakura only nodded and clenched his hand tightly. Sasuke smiled down at her and pulled her after her brother and crew, watching them prepare to set sail. The young girl could only smile as she looked up at Sasuke with her other hand on her stomach, where she could feel just the slightest bulge in her abdomen. _'I want to spend the rest of my life with this man, no, this PIRATE, no matter what happens.'_

Sasuke, Ranosuke, and Nagato sat in Kakashi's sitting room two days later, the captain of the pirates wringing his hands. Sweat slid down his brow, his eyes trained on the door to Kakashi's office where the doctor and Sakura had disappeared to twenty minutes earlier. Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder and Sasuke looked up. Nagato smiled down at him and sat down beside the pressured teen.

"Sasuke, it's going to be alright," Nagato reassured. "If she is pregnant, we already know she's going to stay here until the war passes over."

"I know, Nagato, but I…I'm scared." The other two's eyes widened and they looked at each other in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and understanding. Finally, the door to Kakashi's office opened and Kakashi came out with Sakura right behind him, her eyes wide, unseeing, and her lips in a hard line. Sasuke sprang up and went over to her. "Well?" Sakura looked up at him and grabbed onto his shirt, but then, her face broke out into a grin. Sasuke's jaw dropped and he turned to look at Kakashi for confirmation. The ex-pirate nodded and smiled from beneath his mask.

"I can't say I'm proud of you, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "But congratulations." Sasuke turned to Sakura again and hugged her tightly, her face pressed into his chest, tears coming from her eyes in joy, yet disappointment. That meant she had to be separated from Sasuke for who knows how long. Sasuke put a finger under her chin and made her look at him.

"Sakura, I want you to promise something for me." Sakura nodded to show she was listening. "I want you to wait for me. I want you wait for me so we can live together, and by we," he placed a hand on her stomach, "I mean all of us." Sakura nodded again and he leaned down to kiss her, one last kiss before he could see her again, one last kiss to really show he loved her.

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Get those cannons ready!" Nagato roared from the stern. "There's a Navy ship coming up behind us!"

"Aye aye, sir!" the crew yelled. Several men disappeared under the ship to get the triple barrel cannons ready for battle. Nagato cleared his throat and sighed forlornly. This was the tenth battle they had been in the past week and the exhaustion had finally caught up with him and no doubt the rest of the crew, but the one that was most on edge was Sasuke who stood near the edge of the ship, his arms crossed. They had left Sakura with Kakashi the day before they set out, hoping they would return to her quickly. Ranosuke had reassured her that they would be back, but it was Sasuke who had told her to wait for them.

"Sasuke," Nagato started, "what do you want us to do?" Sasuke turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"What do you think I want you to do?" he asked. Nagato smirked and saluted, his right hand raised to his forehead. "Get ready to board if they decide to come close."

"Aye aye, captain." Sakaku came sprinting up to his older brother, a piece of parchment in his hand, most likely the layout of the ocean they were in. Right now, they must be getting close to Grass since there's so much seaweed in the water.

"I found an easier way to get around the brigade that they set up," Sakaku gasped. "There's a channel very close to the island where we encountered the natives. If we get through that, we might be able to escape without being harmed." Sasuke nodded as he viewed the chart.

"Have you heard word from Naruto on the front yet?" Nagato asked his captain.

"No, but I don't plan on hearing from him anytime soon anyway." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and stared out at the ocean where he saw the enemy ship getting closer. The Navy flag flapped in the wind and his eyes narrowed, the Sharingan swirling dangerously.

"Captain." Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see a crewmate standing there, a hand raised in a salute.

"What is it?" he asked in his monotone voice.

"The cannons are ready for firing, sir," the man said quickly.

"Excellent. Prepare for battle." The man saluted again and left without another word as Sasuke turned to Nagato and Sakaku again. "Make sure the flag is high. I want the last thing these Navy dogs to see as they're slaughtered to be our flag." The brothers raised their eyebrows as their captain turned away to prepare for the upcoming battle.

"Nagato," Shikamaru said from behind the first mate, "is it me, or has Sasuke reverted back to his old self now that Sakura's not here to keep him under control?"

"I believe so, or maybe it's because of the desire to get this finished so he can be with her again." Sakaku stared after his retreating captain with sad eyes. _'He really loves her that much,' _he thought as the crew rushed around him, the sounds of pistols going off sooner than anyone would have liked.

* * *

"Sakura, you can't just sit there and be depressed the entire time," Kakashi told the young girl. "It's not good for the baby." Sakura sighed as she continued looking out the window towards the sea, rubbing her stomach in small circles. It had been almost three weeks since Sasuke and Ranosuke had left, leaving her behind with Kakashi to take care of her and her pregnant self. She was beginning to show just the slightest, the baby bump not yet visible through her shirt.

"Kakashi, do you think he'll be back?" Sakura whispered. Kakashi rubbed his jaw and then his hair.

"It depends on how long this war will last. Sasuke is a tough kid. I should know; I practically raised him." Sakura smiled and patted her stomach lightly.

"I hope our baby is a girl, but a boy would be just fine," she said softly. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and sat across from her.

"What are you going to name your child when he or she is born?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, if it is a girl, then I am thinking of calling her Hana. And if it is a boy, I was thinking Hiroto or Daisuke, after my father. I want to wait for Sasuke to come back until I decide on the name for our baby." Kakashi smiled and stood up to walk over to the window overlooking the city.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon. Trust me," he said. Sakura grinned as she began to rub her stomach again. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. _'Who would be out at a time like this? It's almost nine at night.' _He walked over to the door, but when he heard the sound of metal being sliced through air, his eyes widened. Sakura raised her eyebrows when Kakashi began making wild hand gestures to go to her room, but she stood up and hurried to her room. She closed the door quickly just as Kakashi unsheathed his sword and slowly opened the door.

Sakura put her ear to the door curiously when she heard muffled voices, closing her eyes so she could hear better. Then, a voice shouted out and there was a big thumb followed by the sound of metal on metal. The girl gasped quietly when someone grunted in pain and there was another loud thump, but nothing else happened. The sound of footsteps coming towards her room made her back away from the door and she stood in the middle of the room as the door handle began to turn, opening to reveal a sneering man with a scar running down his face.

"Hey there, girly," the man drawled. "I presume you are Sakura Haruno."

"Yes," Sakura said defiantly. "What if I am?"

"Then you are the reason why we're here." Then, the pirate took two long strides and grabbed Sakura forcefully, slinging her over his shoulder. Sakura gasped when her stomach pressed against his shoulder harshly, fear erupting in her system. She started beating at his back with her fists, shouting angrily and throwing insults and threats at him violently. The man laughed harshly at her futile efforts against him and carried her out of her room and into the main sitting room. A group of pirates were standing in the room with a fallen Kakashi who looked up when he heard the man carrying Sakura walk in.

"N-No!" Kakashi sputtered as blood ran down his chin. "Sa…Sakura, you must k-keep the baby sa-"

"Shut up, you!" one man shouted and kicked Kakashi savagely in the head. Sakura cried out in horror as the men began leaving with her man in the lead. Tears streamed down her face as the door closed, leaving behind the man who had been taking care of her and her unborn child.

"Don't worry, bitch," the man holding her said. "We know your little situation and we're going to take good care of you." The men laughed as Sakura bit her lip in fear and anger towards them.

"Who sent you?" Sakura hissed.

The man smirked and lifted her higher on his shoulder so her stomach pressed into it harshly. But that wasn't what made her gasp in horror. "Your loving father, that's who."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura exclaimed. "Why would my father kidnap me?"

"He heard you were here and ordered us to come and get you so you would be safe from those pirates who-"

"No! They were the ones who lied and deceived me. I don't want to go to them, and I want to stay with Sasuke!"

"It was not your father's plan to bring you back." This caught Sakura off guard and her eyes widened as she turned to look at the man holding her. He caught her expression and all of a sudden, he looked familiar. The man smiled and Sakura cried, "Kankuro!"

"Sorry I'm handling you so rough, Miss Sakura," Sand's general sighed. "But, it is all part of the act your father wants me to put on in order to get you out of Water." When Sakura sighed Kankuro smiled sadly. "Don't worry, Miss Sakura, we'll tell you the full details on the ship." Sakura nodded and patted Kankuro's back sharply.

"If you know my situation, Kankuro, then you must know that this isn't very good for the baby." The man's step faltered but he kept moving. "And you know the baby can die from this. I don't think Sasuke would like that very much."

"Good point," Kankuro murmured. He dropped Sakura to the ground and they hurried to the ship that sat waiting in the harbor. _'If this wasn't Father's plan,' _Sakura thought as she boarded the ship, _'then whose was it?'_

* * *

Groans of pain drifted from the bottom of the _Hawk _as Nagato closed the door behind him quickly. He walked over to his brother where Sakaku nursed a broken nose and a well aimed sword thrust to the his upper arm. The younger boy sat unseeing into space, his eyes clouded with what Nagato assumed was pain and sadness. Nagato put a hand on his younger brother's head, causing Sakaku to jump violently and pull for his sword quickly. His brother snatched at his arm and held it down before he could run him through.

"Sakaku," Nagato said slowly and quietly, "calm down. I'm right here." A sob tore through the fifteen year olds mouth as he hid his face in his hands to stifle the sounds. Nagato narrowed his eyes sadly as he watched his half brother finally break down with the emotional distress and the suffering he had to go through.

Shikamaru stood next to his captain, holding him still as he was sewn up because of a poorly loaded rifle. The rifle butt had slammed into his shoulder which already sported a large gash from the enemy, causing it to open further and make his arm useless. "Fuck," Sasuke hissed.

"Cursing isn't going to help your situation, Sasuke," Shikamaru sighed.

"Shut the hell up," Sasuke growled. He hissed in pain again as the surgeon snapped the string that was holding his arm together and walked back towards where Nagato and Sakaku sat.

"Sasuke, I don't know how much more of this we can take," Shikamaru said. Sasuke stared straight ahead, his skilled eyes trained on the door where he knew half his crew was either injured, dying, or already dead. The smoke in the distance reminded him of the battle that had taken place more than an hour ago.

"Maybe you're right, Shikamaru," the captain murmured.

"No, I know I'm right." Shikamaru open his arms wide and gestured around them. "Don't you see what is happening? The world is waiting for the pirates to disappear at the hands of the Navy! When was the last time you heard from Naruto back at the mainland?" When Sasuke didn't answer, Shikamaru snorted. "Of course you haven't received a letter from him and Lord Jiraiya. For all we know, they could be dead!"

"That's impossible," Sasuke spat. "I haven't gotten word of their deaths. I would have known by now from the number of Navy soldiers we interrogate."

"Sasuke, haven't you noticed something different about yourself since this war started?" Neji asked from behind them. The two looked at him, Shikamaru turning fully while Sasuke just glared at him over his shoulder.

"What are you talking about, Hyuuga?" Sasuke growled.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm going to say it; you've reverted back to your old self the moment Sakura left." Sasuke stared at his crewmembers with confused looks before realization hit him like the blows he received from Sakura all those weeks ago. He looked away at the falling horizon to where he could see a mass of land coming in fast.

"Guys-" Sasuke started, but he was interrupted when the water next to them exploded violently. The ship shook from side to side, causing the ones standing to teeter or fall over.

"What the hell?" Nagato yelled form his spot next to his brother. Sasuke sprang up from his seat and rushed up the steps to the top where Sai was handling the wheel.

"What the hell was that, Sai?" Sasuke shouted.

"We've got a Sand ship coming up behind us and they just shot a cannon at us," the man said hurriedly.

"Why would they do that?" Nagato asked. "I thought we were allies when it came to this sort of thing."

"We are," Sasuke growled. "They might just be trying to get our attention."

"Well, they have it now," Shikamaru said as the remaining crew ran around to prepare for their allies to board their ship. Sasuke, on the other hand, stood where he was next to Sai. He had a feeling things weren't what they seemed, especially the fact that the upcoming ship didn't have its top flag raised, signaling it to be from the royal fleet. Sai looked at his captain with scrutinizing eyes as Sasuke began walking back down the steps and to his cabin where he slammed the door behind him. The man at the wheel sighed and looked back at the approaching ship. _'What has this world come to?' _Sai thought.

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! I've been working on other stories that I plan on putting on here, but if you want an early look at some of them, I have a Deviant Art account with all of them on there. The only reason I haven't put them on here is because I want to finish this one before I put another series on here. Please Review!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sasuke stood in his cabin looking out at the sky through the windows. Almost a month ago, he had stood here with Sakura talking about how she needed to return home since the pirate life was not for her. The Sand ship came closer and closer as the crew dropped anchor to allow the ship to catch up, but there was a feeling in the pit of his gut that was telling him stopping wasn't a good idea. His thoughts returned to his lover, the memory of their time together not the least foggy. What was he going to do once he gets back to find her with the baby in her arms? What if an enemy of his went after her and tried to kill her?

Screwing his eyes tightly, Sasuke groaned and clutched at his head. _'I shouldn't be thinking about her at a time like this,'_ he thought desperately. But how could he forget those bright green eyes, and that silk-like hair that rivaled the cherry blossoms on the mainland. He groaned again, but not from frustration. He ran a hand through his hair in order to control himself; he did not need unnecessary emotions to cloud his head.

Suddenly, the ship lurched with the sudden impact of the Sand ship colliding with his and Sasuke twirled around when the sounds of screaming came from behind the door. He knew that scream anywhere…

Sasuke raced to the door and threw it open, only to freeze in his tracks; there stood a huge crowd of pirates whom held an unconscious Kankuro and a struggling Sakura, tears running down her face.

"Sakura?" Sasuke managed to speak. Sakura stopped struggling and turned her head slowly to look at her lover in disbelief and horror.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed. "Look out!" Sasuke managed to turn around just as a sword came down to take his head off. He ducked quickly but his attacker was able to cut a few strands of hair clean off his head. Rolling into a tuck, he popped back up and reached for his katanas quickly to counterattack. But when he saw who it was, he froze once again.

In front of him stood none other than his older brother, Itachi Uchiha.

"B-Brother? I thought you were dead…" But, Itachi didn't answer him, and instead gave him a cold, blank stare. To everyone around them, it was a lifeless, dull stare that looked right through his younger brother.

"Sasuke, that's not your brother!" Sakura cried. Sasuke snapped his gaze to her before returning it to his brother. "Sasuke!"

"Sakura, just shut up!" The tone of Sasuke's voice silenced her and the tears running down her cheeks ran faster as she watched him confront his missing brother.

"Brother," Sasuke started. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come back?" When Itachi didn't answer, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Answer me, dammit!" The next thing he knew, he was sent crashing into the topmast, his head slamming into it with an enormous force. Sakura gasped and began struggling again, but the pirate holding her wrapped an arm around her neck and stomach, causing her to gasp in horror and shock.

"Sakura!" Nagato shouted from his spot. The remaining crew had been captured and forced to kneel on the deck to watch the bitter sweet reunions. Nagato tried to get up to get to Sakura but he was immediately pushed back down and slammed to the hard deck. Sakaku reached for his brother but was also forced to the deck harshly.

Itachi walked over to his brother who was slowly regaining conscience. Sasuke coughed up a stream of blood, but his breathing was cut short when Itachi slid him up the topmast by his neck. He clawed at the hands holding him while avoiding eye contact with his own brother. In the distance-or that is what it seemed to him-he could hear Sakura screaming his name over and over again. i'S-Sakura,'/i he thought weakly.

"Itachi," a voice hissed. "Let the boy go." Itachi let Sasuke go with a heavy thud and the younger Uchiha gasped with pain. Sasuke looked up slowly to see his lover being restrained as she tried to get to him.

"Let me go!" Sakura screamed. The pirate holding her sneered and pushed her towards him, where she fell to her hands and knees and crawled over to Sasuke who was beginning to sit up shakily. Sakura cradled him in her arms and held him close to her chest, tears running down her face steadily.

"Oh, Sasuke…" The teen swallowed and he looked up at Sakura with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Sakura," Sasuke whispered. "I couldn't protect you the way I wanted to."

"Hush, Sasuke," Sakura cooed. "You have protected me in more ways than you know."

"Now isn't this just _sweet_," the same voice who had ordered Itachi to let Sasuke go, sneered. Sakura twisted her head around and glared at Orochimaru as he stepped from the crowd of pirates. "You two look like the _perfect_ couple the way she is holding you." The entire iHawk/i crew cringed at what the pirate lord said, which of course did not go unnoticed.

"Boss, I think you hit the nail on the head," one pirate snickered. Orochimaru took three big strides towards the couple and yanked Sakura up by her arm harshly, the girl letting out a cry of pain.

"No!" Sasuke cried, but he gave out a grunt when Itachi stomped on his ribs, effectively snapping one. Sakura gasped in horror when she saw it and yanked on her arm to free herself, but Orochimaru swung her into his body and her face collided with his chest, her stomach hitting him hard. When Sakura gave out a cry in alarm, Orochimaru smirked.

"It's as I thought," he hissed.

"Get…" Orochimaru turned his head in Sasuke's direction as he tried to struggle against his brother. "Get away from her, you bastard!"

"You don't seem to have a say in the matter, Sasuke, now do you?" Orochimaru moved his free hand down to Sakura's stomach and Sasuke's eyes widened in fear for his unborn child.

"S-Stop it!" Sakura screeched and Sasuke's ears pricked.

"I'm going to kill you, you sick, twisted, son of a bitch!" Nagato shouted from his spot.

"Nagato!" muttered Sasuke, his face pressed into the deck. "Shut…up."

Orochimaru chuckled rather sadistically when he saw the faerie's look of betrayal. "Now is that not something? He's taking orders like a whipped pup from his from his master." There were snorts of laughter from around them as Sasuke glared at the man holding his loved one.

"I swear if you touch them anymore than you already are, I'm going to gut you and then feed the rest of your body to that bloody beast of yours!" Sasuke shouted, but was silenced once again by his lifeless brother with a stomp to his already bruised and broken ribs. Then, Sasuke took that opportunity to take Itachi's leg and flip him off with a harsh thud to the deck next to him. He stumbled up and picked his katana up off the floor and brandished his other katana that matched the first one.

"Them?" Orochimaru mused quietly. "So, my thoughts_ have _been confirmed." His lip curled at his discovery as he looked from Sasuke to Sakura. "So, when is it due?"

Sakura's eyes widened when she felt something slide across her abdomen with a fluid motion and tears came to her eyes as Orochimaru slipped the knife over her belly. "No," she whispered. Sasuke watched him torture Sakura with the idea he was going to kill their baby and the Sharingan activated without a second thought.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Sasuke roared and charged. Pirates moved in front of him but were immediately cut down with cries of pain. His eyes burned red with hate and his Sharingan began to rotate as he set his eyes on the man he wanted to kill. Suddenly, another man stepped up and Sasuke gave a roar in rage as he swung his sword at Itachi, who immediately blocked it with an armguard he was wearing.

"You're are still weak, little brother," Itachi said in the same monotone voice Sasuke used. Sasuke jerked back at his brother's harsh words, his eyes unbelieving.

"I am NOT weak anymore!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Then strike at me like you mean it." Sasuke's steps faltered at those words, but a glare made its way across his face and he crossed his twin katanas that dripped with blood over his chest.

"I don't want to kill you…Itachi," Sasuke murmured. "But, I cannot allow you to work with my enemy, especially if the girl he is holding is carrying my child." There was a small gasp from around them, mainly from Sasuke's crew who didn't know about their secret.

"Little brother, come at me!" Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in the back of Sasuke's head as he remembered Itachi had said something like that to him before he was arrested.

-Flashback-

_"Okay," ten year old Itachi instructed, "I want you to charge at me like you would an enemy." His younger brother Sasuke scuffed his feet, biting his lip nervously. "What's wrong, little brother?"_

_"Why would I want to come after you, Itachi?" Sasuke whimpered. "You're my brother!"_

_Itachi stared at his younger brother in surprise, his eyebrows raised as he watched Sasuke finger the hilt of his small sword. It had been specially made by Kakashi who was currently viewing over their training session. He chuckled to himself at the young boy's shyness and stuck his face back in the book he had been reading._

_"Listen, Sasuke," Itachi said as he put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "When you are on the battle field, you can't just stand by all the time because you will get killed immediately. The last few raids this past week have had us on edge since the Navy has been on our tails to arrest us."_

_"But if we do meet the Navy, you'll just kill them like you know how!" Sasuke demonstrated by pulling out his sword and swung it around in the air before stabbing the cool atmosphere. Itachi gave a laugh and took his own sword out, pointing it at Sasuke._

_"Now, little brother," Itachi said with a smirk, "come at me!" Sasuke grinned and charged at his brother, giving a small grunt when their swords collided. "That's it! Now push against me!" The younger boy did as he was ordered and push as hard as he could against the other boy. He could see Itachi's Sharingan Other crew members had come up on deck to watch their training, including a small boy with blonde, spiky hair and bright blue eyes, who immediately smiled when he saw Sasuke._

_"Go, Teme!" he shouted, making Sasuke turn his attention to him with a sharp glare._

_"Shut up, Dobe!" In a matter of seconds, Itachi knocked the sword out of his brother's hands and had him pinned to the deck with his arm behind his back painfully. Kakashi sat up straighter when he saw this, but relaxed when he saw Itachi wasn't hurting his brother._

_"Never let you're enemies get you from behind," Itachi said. The crewmembers clapped at their young captain's victory and the disappeared as fast as they came, the blonde boy staying behind. Itachi stood up from his brother and Sasuke felt tears of embarrassment and anger push to his eyes as he sat up with crossed legs. He crossed his arms as well and looked out at the ocean, where he could see a mass of land coming up slowly. Itachi sighed at his brother's tears that silently rolled down his cheeks and walked up to him._

_"Sasuke, you're going to have to learn that distractions are going to happen in life-"_

_"No!" Sasuke cried. "I know there are going to be distractions, but that's not what I'm worried about." He put his head in his arms with his knees propping them up. "I just want to be as strong as you, Itachi."_

_Itachi smirked and placed a hand on his brother's head, patting it gently. Kakashi smiled at the pair from behind his mask while the other young boy grinned. Sasuke stared up at his big brother before smiling widely. Giving his brother a smack on the arm, Sasuke sprang up and ran to the side of the ship to watch as the land mass became larger. He could hear his brother shouting orders with words like "Get your asses in gear," and "Konoha," but he soon tuned him out at the thought of becoming as great as his older brother._

-End of Flashback-

"SASUKE!"

A shrill scream brought Sasuke back to the present just as a sword came down on him, but he managed to block it with a quick move of his katana.

"I thought I told you to never let distractions cloud your mind," Itachi said in his monotone voice. Sasuke bared his teeth and pushed against his heavier brother, the last training session they had together coming to mind again. Except this time, Naruto wasn't there to interrupt it; instead, there was Sakura who was unintentionally his distraction.

"Leave her out of this," Sasuke snarled.

"And she's even got you curled around her finger like a forget-me-not."

"I said leave her alone!" Sasuke pushed at him again, successfully pushing him to the ground with his katanas at his throat. "Don't talk about Sakura like that _ever_ again! Do you hear me?"

"That girl has made you weak, little brother," Itachi smirked.

"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sasuke dropped his katanas and raised his fist, only to bring it down hard across Itachi's face and successfully breaking something with a hard crack. His fist came down with an even harder hit than the one before it, making Itachi's head slam into the deck repeatedly. Behind him, Sakura gave a cry in alarm that made Sasuke's head picked up quickly with wide eyes. _'W-What…?'_ Just what the hell was he doing? Here he was, beating the crap out of a man he used to look up to.

The moment Sasuke scrambled off the barely-unconscious Itachi, Sakura felt the forbidden tears slide down her cheeks and hit the deck silently. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and her whole body was shaking with fear she didn't know she possessed. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, hoping for something to come out that would stop the ridiculous fighting. The crew was being held captive while she felt so helpless to do anything, and the only thing she could do was stay alive for Sasuke and their baby.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek and she felt blood rush into her mouth as she tried to force herself not to cry anymore, but the tears wouldn't stop running. A dark chuckle was heard from behind her as Orochimaru watched his men dash forward to apprehend the shocked Uchiha quickly to avoid another unnecessary attack.

"Well, I think that's enough of that," Orochimaru sneered. Sasuke glared at him as he was forced down to his knees, but instead was met with the fearful and wet gaze of Sakura. His eyes widened as Sakura was suddenly pushed forward by his mortal enemy towards the plank that was laid out on the side of the ship. Sasuke just stared forward with clouded eyes as he watched Orochimaru push Sakura towards the plank.

"NO!" the crew behind him shouted when they say the snake man's intentions. Sakura began to cry even harder as she was pushed towards the edge of the ship and the cries of the crew behind her fading away. She tried to dig her bare feet into the deck, but winced and stumbled forward when splinters were shoved into her feet. Blood followed a path from her as she was forced to walk to the plank where she would be forced to fall from to her death.

Nagato turned to look at his captain who looked like he had finally cracked, his hair shading his face from anyone's view. A strangled sob reached his advanced hearing and he turned his head back to Sakura, who was shoved onto the plank unsteadily. Her wispy dress flowed around her ankles and her head was bowed as Orochimaru spoke to her.

"Don't worry, my dear," snickered Orochimaru. "Your beloved will be with you soon."

Then, Sakura did something that surprised them all, including Sasuke who was too shocked to even move; she straightened her shoulders and raised her head to where it was facing straight out at the sea. There were no more tears on her cheeks or in her eyes as she stared defiantly forward and her fists were clenched. Her teeth were bared behind her lips, jaw clenched tightly.

Sasuke watched her with wide eyes as she slowly turned her upper body to look at them, her eyes filled with determination, nothing more, nothing less. His eyes never left hers as Sakura turned all the way around to face them, and with the sun setting right behind her and the wind blowing lightly, she looked just like an angel with her hair blowing around her head. At that moment, Sakura decided to give him the most heart-warming -and heart-wrenching smile- she had ever given him in the three months he had her.

Now, he could feel everything rushing back to him just as Sakura fell back with her arms spread wide into the depths of the ocean below.

"SAKURAAAA!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Everything went by in a blur for Sasuke as he watched with wide eyes at what had just happened. The love of his life, the one bearing his child, had just committed suicide. _Hawk_'s crew went into an uproar, but one wail could be heard above them all; Ranosuke. Behind him, he barely registered the fact that Nagato had broke free of his restraints and was running towards the edge of the ship, cutting down any pirate that stood in his way with his bare hands. Before he, or any crew member could stop him, Nagato jumped over the side of the _Hawk_ and disappeared. The awaited splash wasn't heard and suspicion arose in the crew on deck.

Several men walked over to the edge of the ship to investigate, but when they looked back up at Orochimaru, their eyes showed shock and confusion. The pirate lord looked unconcerned as he turned back to the captain of the taken ship, who still remained frozen in shock. He motioned for his men to pull him to his knees, where Sasuke's head fell limply into his chest. Sasuke had just enough energy to glare up at his enemy, the Sharingan blazing.

"Poor, little Sasuke," Orochimaru hissed. "You've just lost your first mate and dear one to the sea, yet you still have the urge to fight me?" He picked up at leg and kicked the teenager with enough force to send him sprawling backwards.

"Sasuke, get up!" Shikamaru shouted. "Sakura wouldn't have wanted you to do this." Their captain didn't seem to be listening as he lay on his back, eyes open and sadness gleaming in them. Unshed tears glistened in them as he stared up at the sky, the last streams of light slowly fading below the vast land. _'If only you were here to see this,'_ Sasuke thought. Darkness enveloped them as Orochimaru chuckled darkly, his footsteps approaching Sasuke's fallen form with deep, hard strides.

"It seems you no longer have the strength to fight me when your precious Sakura is not here," the pirate lord hissed in victory. "She has played a fine job in this war; weakening the _famous _Sasuke Uchiha."

Jeers went up among the enemy pirates as Orochimaru pulled his sword from its scabbard and pointed it to Sasuke, drinking in his sad appearance. "Now, my dear Sasuke, I think your dear one is waiting for you on the bottom of the ocean." Just as he swung down the sword that had already claimed numerous lives, Sasuke jumped into action. His arm snatched out beside him to where one of his katana had been placed by a careless pirate and he swung it up in time to meet Orochimaru's.

Sasuke smirked with his teeth bared, his veins popping out from his arms as he used his strength to keep Orochimaru at bay. His enemy hissed in anger, the sound literally coming out like the hiss of a snake.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to meet Sakura just yet," Sasuke sneered as he put more weight on his katana, getting to one knee. Orochimaru pushed backwards and took a few steps away from the now standing Uchiha, who turned to stare at Itachi with a heated glare. "I know you are not really alive, Brother, for I witnessed your hanging not long after you were arrested." Turning back to Orochimaru, who seemed to be seething with anger, he said, "You disturbed his rest, now I shall end your life in place of his."

The young captain began taking steps toward the cowardly pirate lord, a ruthless glare on his features.

"You've taken everything away from me-"

"Sasuke, let's think this though-" started Sakaku from his position but Sasuke continued talking.

"You've ruined my life for the sake of your selfish desires-"

"Sasuke!" But Sasuke didn't listen to this new voice that appeared, his rage blinding him.

"And you have taken away the one thing I cared for more in this world." As Sasuke had spoken, he was taking closer steps to Orochimaru who was taking steps away from him until he was backing into the top mast. Sasuke gave an evil sneer as he lifted his katana until it was parallel with his enemy's chest. Then, in an evil voice, he uttered, "I think it is time you atoned for your sins, Orochimaru." Just as he was about to stab him in the heart, the same voice from earlier stopped him, making him completely freeze.

"Stop it, Sasuke!"

'_T-That voice…it can't be…' _Sasuke turned to the new voice, the familiarity of it making him choke on air as he took breaths, his lungs constricting. His eyes were wide as he took in the sight of Sakura, who was standing next to a calm Nagato. He totally forgot about killing his mortal enemy as he turned to her, the hand holding his katana falling to his side.

"Sa…Sakura?" he stuttered. The look on her face was scared but relieved, glad to see he wasn't hurt anymore than he was.

"Sasuke, don't kill him," Sakura said quietly, immediately seeing the look of shock change to anger.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke hissed. "He tried to _murder _you and you want him to be let free?"

"No," Nagato spoke in an echoing voice, "but let the law take him in and decide his punishment. Enough people have died these past weeks as it is." Sasuke looked at his first mate with wide eyes, taking in his appearance for the first time. There was a strange blue aura surrounding him that folded out behind him like mystical wings, giving away his true identity as a faerie. His once exotic blue eyes were brighter than ever, shining in an invisible light since he was facing away from the rising full moon. The mark on his upper arm was glowing the same blue his wings were, the strange aura the only things keeping the light on the ship.

Sakura started walking towards him with a sad smile, grabbing his free hand and pressed it to her swelling stomach. "Please, don't kill anymore, Sasuke," she whispered to him. "Everyone's had enough. _**You **_have had enough."

Suddenly, there was an evil chuckle from behind them and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he pulled Sakura behind and turned to Orochimaru. "How _sweet_," the man hissed. One look from his snake-like eyes showed the tyrant had officially snapped, craziness and pure evil shining in them. "Of course a _faerie _would change the fate of this war."

"Orochimaru," Sasuke growled, "don't even think about doing anything or I WLL kill you."

"My dear Sasuke," Orochimaru hissed insanely. "I am afraid you are at a disadvantage. My crew has yours by the throats and are prepared to kill them at any moment. A simple command could prove just that."

'_Shit,' _Sasuke thought. _'I forgot about them.' _

Sakura bit her lip and looked around carefully, eyeing the enemy pirates with distaste. They were all armed to the teeth, just like they had been when they had taken the ship she and Kankuro had been on. She took one look at her brother, who was watching the group quietly, looking as if he was about to give up. Giving him a small smile, her eyes then turned to Itachi Uchiha, watching him closely. He hadn't moved when Nagato had flown up after he had saved her, but was watching his younger brother fight Orochimaru. There was something swimming in the red eyes of Itachi that made her realize something important; the same Itachi was in there somewhere.

Then, as if he had heard her thoughts, Itachi sprang into action. He was gone from his spot and when Sakura looked ahead, a figure blew past her, making her hair fly forward. Sasuke's eyes widened as a figure stood in front of them and a sudden cry of pain made him look up quickly. Itachi was standing between them and Orochimaru in a fighting stance, stabbing the snake lord with Sasuke's other katana. There was complete silence as Orochimaru looked at his puppet in a mix of shock and surprise.

"H-How?" uttered the pirate lord as he slid to his knees.

"Your horrible rein of terror is over Orochimaru," came Itachi's monotone voice. "You will no longer reside on this earth to plague it with darkness and destroy the light people shine on it."

Without another word, Orochimaru finally slid down to the deck, blood spurting out of his chest as the Japanese sword was pulled from his body sharply. He gave out one final gurgle as he choked on his own blood before passing from the world, going to his spot in Hell. His tyranny of evil followed him as an invisible weight was lifted from the crews' shoulders as the life of Pirate Lord Orochimaru of the Snakes died.

Suddenly, there was a horrible noise from beneath the ship as Orochimaru's beast died along with its master, the ship lurching as the Unagi thrashed around. The water around them was evaporating as the Unagi's body began to burn and shrivel as it was dying a horrible yet deserving death.

Immediately, the clangs of swords from Orochimaru's crew was heard and Sasuke turned around to see the men falling to their knees before him, silently asking him for mercy as they bowed before him. The _Hawk _crew stood awkwardly from being in the position they had been in for almost two hours, but their eyes never left the four people in front of them: Nagato, in his full faerie mode; Itachi, the one who had killed their enemy; and finally Sasuke and Sakura, the ones who steered the whole thing in motion.

Sasuke turned back to his older brother with a bright expression as soon as the crew had burst out in cheers, hugging and tying the other crew up and putting them away. Sakura also faced him, but the smile on her face vanished along with Sasuke's when they saw his figure start to disappear.

"Wait!" Sasuke cried, his hand stretching out to him. The deck immediately went quiet as they watched the once-in-a-lifetime event: The official death of Itachi Uchiha, leaving Sasuke the only living Uchiha once again.

"It was nice to see you again, little brother," Itachi said in a fading voice. "And it was nice to finally see you have found someone you truly care for." At this, Sakura blushed while looking straight in the eyes of Itachi Uchiha. "Mother and Father would be very proud of you, Sasuke."

Sasuke felt tears pushing at his eyes but he tried to will them away, but they burst out when Itachi poked his forehead just like he used to when they were younger. "_**I **_am proud of you, Sasuke. Always remember I will be watching over you from where I am. Never lose faith in the ones who love you." And Itachi Uchiha disappeared from the earth, finally able to rest in peace.

Sakura felt Sasuke's grip on her tighten and noticed his hands shaking as he pulled her into his chest, hugging her to him as if he would lose her again. She gripped the back of his torn shirt as tears spilled over her cheeks and she started crying with him, the crew behind them holding looks of remorse. Sasuke sobbed in her hair quietly as the stress and anxiety vanished from him, but also in sadness at the loss of his brother once again. But, he was just so _happy _his Sakura was alive to be with him.

Without letting go, Sakura looked up at Sasuke and kissed him, receiving the kiss as Sasuke dug his fingers in her waist while she ran her hands through his hair. Nothing would ruin the moment between them, even the threat of the Navy that was still following them. They could finally live together as one.


	19. Epilogue

_Prologue_

A baby's cry filled the room, alerting the young woman sitting in the rocking chair in the sitting room that her child was awake. The late-afternoon light filled the spacious house as she made her way up the stairs and down to the far door to the baby's room, the cries getting softer faster than she expected. She walked around ornate furniture as she made her way to the staircase near the front door that led out to the rural portion of Konoha. When she pushed open the cracked door, Sakura smiled at the image of Sasuke cradling his son.

Sasuke and Sakura had gone into hiding the last few months, finally reappearing the month after the war ended. They had met up with Naruto only to learn Jiraiya, Pirate Lord of the Toads, had been killed in the last siege on the battle front. Naruto had been completely devastated when his master had died in his arms, bleeding all over his uniform. With a very pregnant Sakura, they traveled all the way to Konoha to meet with her parents.

Ranosuke had already arrived, having tried to sugarcoat the fact of Sakura's pregnancy and who the father was. The moment the couple arrived with Naruto in tow, Daisuke and Rini Haruno had nothing to say to their daughter because of the shock. Sakura, being emotional, explained to them that she knew of the agreement between Daisuke and Orochimaru, the anger very evident in her features despite the tears. After a long talk about it, her parents apologized to her thoroughly before turning on Sasuke. He let his anger out too quickly when her parents suggested to them that they leave Sakura there and Sasuke and Naruto could go on their merry way.

"_You must really be horrible parents if you want the father of your grandchild to leave the baby in the care of its mother!"_ Sasuke had shouted. It was decided that a house would be bought for the expecting couple outside the city until the baby would be born. They were moved in without a problem and two weeks later, Daisuke Uchiha was born on May third. Then, the topic of Sasuke and Ranosuke's deal was brought up. After Sakura had been captured by Orochimaru, Ranosuke had promised to clear Sasuke of all charges he was faced with in order to be with Sakura and their child. In exchange, he would be placed in the service of the Navy for a whole year until his debts were paid off.

Nagato had disappeared shortly after the _Hawk _had landed at Konoha port, leaving in a hurry and saying he had "explorations" he wanted to do and to not be disturbed. Sakaku was currently staying at the Pirate Lord mansion, acting as Head Navigator for Lady Tsunade, the remaining of the Pirate Lords. Neji, as well as Shikamaru, had disappeared as well, but some say they left to be with their loved ones and remaining family in hiding, still being wanted criminals. Sasuke's deal included the rest of the _Hawk_ crew, but they were to remain in hiding until the year was up.

Sakura recalled all this as she watched her fiancé holding their son carefully, afraid he would break him if he didn't hold the tiny infant right. Sasuke didn't notice her as she walked over and sat in the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room. The ex-pirate bounced up and down, willing the two month old to go back to sleep since it was too early for him to be up from his nap yet. The young woman began rocking back and forth, the chair creaking slightly on the hardwood floor.

Sasuke turned to the sound of the rocking chair squeaking and saw his lover, a small smile on her lips. He gave her his own smirk as he placed the now sleeping baby back in the bassinet, giving it a slight push which cause it to start swinging back and forth lightly. Sakura got up slowly and took his hand as he held it out to her, pulling her from the room quietly and led her to their bedroom across the hall from the baby's room. The king-sized bed lie near the opposite side of the room, the headboard against the wall and a small vanity that belonged to Sakura sat beside the closet.

Her fiancé walked into the bathroom that was joined to the bedroom and proceeded to change from his clothes since he had gotten home from duty. Sakura sat at the small vanity and picked up her brush to start running it through her shoulder blade-length hair, watching it shine in the light. Her green eyes stared back at her as she stared into the mirror, watching the way her hair bounced back to its original place. Sasuke walked back in as he pulled a white shirt over his head, his muscles rippling from sliding the shirt off. He watched Sakura combing her hair with an amused look before striding over to her.

"You look beautiful," he muttered as he placed butterfly kisses over her bare shoulders and neck. Sakura hummed with satisfaction as Sasuke's kisses trailed everywhere from the shoulders up, passing over her jaw a few times and kissing her temple lightly. Suddenly, she was swept up and dumped on the bed with Sasuke's body covering hers quickly. He buried his face in her neck, savoring the soft skin underneath him before giving it a quick nip, making the girl beneath him gasp. Her dress didn't help because it was low cut, but it was Sasuke's favorite because it was white with red trimming around the bust line and sleeves.

"Have I ever told you how much I loved you?" Sasuke murmured against her skin. Sakura smiled and nodded slowly, intertwining her fingers in his hair that so much resembled Daisuke's soft tuft. Their son had inherited his mother's bright green eyes and his father's dark hair and features. They wouldn't know if he would have the Sharingan until he was older, but Sasuke had told Sakura he didn't want their child to be cursed with what he had.

Before Sasuke could kiss her fully, there was a sudden knock on the door a floor below, making them break apart. The loud knock was then followed with the scream of the baby, which made Sakura scowl.

"Who could be here at this time of day?" Sakura asked to no one in particular. Sasuke got off her to run to the baby's room to fetch him since there was no way the baby would go to sleep now after Daisuke had awakened twice in a row. Sakura hurried down the stairs to the front door and unlocked the padlock, but straightened her appearance after taking a quick look at her disheveled figure. As soon as she opened the door, she took one look at the newcomer and squealed in happiness, which alerted Sasuke from the top of the stairs.

"Nagato!" Sakura cried and jumped at the man. Nagato smiled as he held her to him, squeezing her to him tightly.

"How have you been, Sakura?" the man asked her happily.

"Good! Why don't you come in?" She stepped to the side and allowed the male faerie in, but her eyes widened when someone else walked in behind him. The woman he had brought was possibly the most beautiful she had ever seen; she had raven black hair that reached her waist and was choppy, reminding Sakura of Sasuke's hair but much longer. She had blood red eyes that were currently darting back and forth nervously. She wore an exquisite dress that swept to the floor and matched her eyes but was a lighter shade, making it a wine color.

The woman turned to look at Sakura with curious eyes as they made their way into the sitting room, where Sasuke was currently sitting in the rocking chair with baby in his arms. Daisuke was making small gurgling noises as he played with his father's fingers with interest, squeezing his tiny hands around them.

"So, is that the newest addition to the family?" Nagato said, gesturing to the infant. Sasuke smirked and gave a slight nod as Sakura took the baby from him.

"Yes," she cooed lightly. "This is Daisuke."

Then, the woman that had come with Nagato turned to him and whispered to him in a language unfamiliar to Sasuke and Sakura. "So, who is this woman, Nagato?" Sasuke spoke up for the first time. Nagato looked up in surprise and gave a bright smile.

"This is my fiancé, Tashino," he said proudly. Tashino gave a beautiful smile as she nodded her head to them. "She can't speak English very well, so I'll translate for her."

"Where did you meet her?" Sakura asked as she juggled the baby on her shoulder.

"I met her while I was in Water Country. Well, actually I saved her!" Tashino smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, a slight giggle coming from her frame. Sakura smiled back at her and turned to Sasuke.

"Well isn't that something," the ex-captain murmured. "I didn't imagine you as a man who would get married."

"It was a sudden thing, actually." While the two men spoke, Tashino turned to Sakura and smiled at her again. Sakura gave her a curious look when she began to speak, a heavy accent following her.

"Could I please hold your baby?" Tashino asked, although it sounded like: "Cood I please holt yoor babeh?"

"Sure," Sakura said happily as she handed her child to the woman, who immediately held onto the baby like it was her own, cradling it gently while turning to Nagato and talking in her own language. Nagato smirked and looked down at Daisuke who was staring at the new people in wonder.

"He has your eyes, Sakura," Nagato said quietly. "But has Sasuke's features, especially his hair." Sakura giggled at this and turned to look at Tashino, but found the young woman's attention was on something else. She was staring intently at Sasuke, one eyebrow raised while she had a frown adorning her gorgeous features.

"May I help you?" Sasuke grunted. There was a pause before Tashino raised her free and pointed a well-manicured finger at him and said,

"Your hair looks like a chicken!" There was another pause, this time longer than the first one until Sakura snorted and started laughing at the comment, Nagato joining her with a chuckle. Sasuke's eyes were narrowed as he pouted slightly, arms crossed over his chest. Sakura continued laughing as she walked over to him and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek lovingly, whispering his chicken hair "looks sexy" to her.

After the good laugh, they continued their visit, periodically talking about old friends.

"On my travels, I returned to that island where Kiba and his tribe live," Nagato said as Sakura served tea to them. He gave her a small nod in gratitude before continuing. "He's not very happy that we left him without saying goodbye and all, but he _did _tell me they managed to fight off the enemy tribe and destroy the population. Of course, he told me all this while we were having a spar."

Sakura chuckled and continued to rock her baby in the smaller basinet they kept in the sitting room. Daisuke was playing soundlessly with a rattle that had the Uchiha symbol on it to represent their family name. Sasuke was watching them silently as he listened to Nagato tell of his adventures.

"Naruto says hi though," Nagato said. "He and Hinata are expecting-"

"What?" Sakura exclaimed. "Really?"

"Yes. She is seven months exactly. Actually seven months **today**, I believe. Naruto was shouting something about that a couple days ago before I left."

Sakura smiled and leaned her chin in her hand. "You hear that, Sasuke? Daisuke might have a playmate before long!"

"I don't think so," Sasuke scoffed. "I'm not letting my son anywhere _**near **_the Dobe's flesh and blood." Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"That's what you say now," she muttered before putting an innocent face on when Sasuke turned to glare at her.

"Just like old times, no?" Nagato asked with a small chortle. Tashino gave him a look of curiosity but the faerie shook his head as he continued to watch his old crewmates bicker. They had changed a lot, he noticed. Sakura; a rebellious young girl with a fiery spirit to match her seemingly bipolar mood swings. Sasuke; a hormonal teenage boy with killing intentions on any of his enemies who tried to take away what was precious to him and cold attitude. The one at fault would mainly be Sakura, who personality immediately snagged the ex-pirate from the start. Looking at them now, he couldn't help but wonder what their children would be like.

"Well, I do think it is time for us to be going," Nagato said out of the blue, causing the other two to suddenly stop with their argument. Sakura gave him a small, nervous smile before following them to the door while giving Sasuke a stern look. Sasuke exhaled silently to himself and got up to follow her to see their guests out, grabbing Daisuke on the way out.

"Thank you for having the time to come see us," Sakura said as she gave them a smile, reaching a hand out for Tashino to shake it. The foreign woman took one look at it before swatting it away and giving the younger girl a hug, knocking the breath out of her. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Tashino."

"Please, just call me Tashino," the woman giggled. "It makes me feel old and plus," she winked at the girl, "I can tell we're going to be the best of friends!"

Sakura laughed before giving Tashino another hug goodbye and Tashino walked up to Sasuke and Daisuke, eyeing the older man before cooing softly to the infant. "_Hasta luego, mi angelito._" Then, Nagato and Tashino left them, Tashino waving back at them as Nagato pulled her along. The young mother didn't stop waving until they were completely gone, a small smile on her lips.

The moon was starting to come up, signaling the end of the day and Sasuke was staring out the window to the nursery, cradling his son to his chest. He was rocking back and forth, always refusing to use the rocking chair in the corner of the room where his lover sat watching him in her night clothes. There was a serene look on her face as she watched him and their baby. Something about that scene just relaxed her, as if Sasuke was going to be there for their child all the time, cradling him like he was now.

Almost a year before, Sakura never would have thought the ruthless, bloodthirsty pirate known as Sasuke Uchiha would make such a great father, especially to her baby. But here he was, taking care of an infant they had made together, not out in the world killing people for the heck of it. Sakura could never have imagined Sasuke as a parent, even if he had been a regular gentleman. He just seemed to reclusive and cold to people to her. But, seeing the man in front of her now with the baby in his arms, those thoughts just washed away completely.

The sound of the basinet creaking brought Sakura back to Earth and she looked up to see Sasuke placing the sleeping Daisuke in it. She stood up and walked over to the small crib, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her baby's forehead before following after her loved one to their room. Sakura skipped over to the bed and plopped down on it, giggling as Sasuke followed suit. The bed jiggled a little from the sudden movements, and Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist, taking in her scent before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"It was nice having Nagato over, even if it was so unexpectedly," Sakura whispered. Sasuke grunted in agreement and Sakura added, "Tashino seems like an interesting woman."

"She's annoying," was all Sasuke said but it was enough to make Sakura slap his arm.

"Be nice, Sasuke!" The man chuckled at her reaction and pulled Sakura closer than ever, pressing their bodies together intimately. Sakura let out a small noise from her lips, closing her eyes as Sasuke rolled over until he was on top of her, his lips roaming over her neck and jaw. The younger woman moved her hands down to his shirt, moving them under and up, pulling his shirt off and leaving his top part bare as he reached for the hem of her nightgown. He slid the slick fabric from her body, leaving her naked to his eyes as he drank in her appearance.

Sakura opened her eyes to look into his, where she visibly saw the dark pools glaze over with lust. She gave him a sweet smile before reaching up and bringing him down to meet her lips again, moaning low as Sasuke plunged his tongue into her mouth, tasting her quickly before sliding back down to her neck. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his pants as his hands roamed lower down her body, Sakura panting lightly as the pleasure inside escalated higher.

Sasuke smirked at her eagerness and took his hands off her body to help her with his pants, his hands shaking ever so slightly. In one swift motion, his pants were flung to the floor and Sasuke was back on top, smothering her petite body with his. Sakura grabbed onto his shoulders and let out a low but alluring moan as he entered her, which caused him to grunt.

"Ohhhhhh…" Sakura groaned when Sasuke pulled back out and pushed in. Sasuke gritted his and narrowed his eyes, only to have them close tightly when Sakura ran her nails down his back, creating identical ones that matched the ones she had given him months ago during their first time.

"This…This is a very odd sensation of de-ja-vu," Sasuke murmured. Sakura smiled, but that faded when Sasuke gave her another thrust and she bucked her hips against his.

"S-Stop that," Sakura whispered. "You're distracting me."

"Oh what? This?" Sasuke gave another experimental thrust and the girl beneath him groaned loudly before looking at him with fierce eyes. He smirked sexily and leaned down, kissing her softly. But Sakura grabbed his face and glued her lips to his harder. Her lover growled and wrapped his arms around her waist and slammed into her again, grunting low. Sakura called out his name loudly and actually drew blood this time as she scratched his back harshly.

At that moment, Sakura began to feel a coil in the pit of her stomach which tightened and tightened as Sasuke thrust into her. With half-lidded eyes, she saw Sasuke's face contort in concentration as he willed himself not come before her. Reaching up, she grabbed his face again, softly this time though, and kissed him in a way that literally almost made him release right then and there. However, Sakura cried out in his mouth as she came fast and hard, and that was enough to force Sasuke's own.

Sasuke dropped his head on Sakura shoulder as they breathed hard, allowing their high to die down a little. Sakura's hands went to Sasuke's hair and she gently massaged it, caressing her fingers through his hair slowly.

"I love you," Sakura heard the man on top of her mutter. She closed her eyes and smiled softly.

"As do I, Sasuke," she said breathlessly. Suddenly, the shrill cry of the baby across the hall pierced their ears and Sakura sighed tiredly. Sasuke made to get up, but Sakura pushed him down gently. "I'll get him. I would like some alone time with my own son, please." Sasuke smirked and Sakura got up quickly while pulling a robe on that was hanging from one of the bed posts. She slid it on and disappeared from the room, moving quietly down the hallway to the crying Daisuke.

"Shhhh, it's okay," Sakura cooed as she picked him up. She cradled him to her chest where his head immediately nuzzled and he quieted down. "Mommy's here. Mommy is always going to be here for you." The sound of the hardwood floor creaking behind her made the girl whirl around, clutching Daisuke closer to her chest in fear someone had broken in. But, all she saw was Sasuke standing there with his pants on again and he was leaning against the doorframe.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"Yes. I think we woke him up," Sakura giggled. She turned back around and rocked a whimpering Daisuke back and forth while Sasuke walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around his soon-to-be wife and his infant son.

"You know," Sasuke started. "I knew you would be the one to cause a change in my world the moment I met you." Sakura smiled gently and looked down at their awake son, his green eyes looking up at them in wonder.

"Well, I guess that's why I'm here, then," Sakura said as Sasuke reached his hand around her chin and pulled her around to kiss her passionately.

The End


End file.
